After a few months of unusually serene behaviour from the nearly 21-year-old pop star, an image rehabilitation effort seemed to launch in earnest last week.

On the heels of posing for a Calvin Klein underwear campaign and consenting to endure “The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber,” the singer made an uncomfortable appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” in which he conceded with humbled posture and tone that he had “done some things that might not have been the greatest.”

He elaborated via a dimly lit smartphone soliloquy later, explaining that for the past year or so he’d come off “arrogant or conceited.” He pledged: “I’m not who I pretended to be.”

The full-court PR press appears to have been carefully co-ordinated, but is it contrived?

“That video, it could have been genuine. It could be somebody who’s looking to turn their thing around. Or it could be somebody who had a really devastating conversation with their lawyer about a pending court case.”

Either way, it seems the majority of the video’s audience was willing to take Bieber at his word.

According to social media data provided to The Canadian Press by analytics firm Brandwatch, Bieber’s confessional video generated 10 times more positive mentions than negative.

In the day following the video, the company found that the hashtag #WeDontJudgeYouJustin generated more than 27,600 tweets and retweets (and nearly 100 million impressions). Overall, 69 per cent of Bieber mentions on Twitter came from women.

“He came across to fans as genuine and sincere, and at least on social media, his fans rallied around him,” said Brandwatch company spokeswoman Dinah Alobeid.

Justin Bieber leaves an event in Paris. Bieber has apologized for his bad behavior in a new video posted to Facebook. The singer says that his arrogant and conceited attitude over the last two years was just to cover up his true feelings. []

One in five active monthly Twitter users follows Bieber, according to numbers supplied by analytics firm Next Big Sound, whose data informs the Billboard Social 50. Bieber’s is the second most-followed account on the social networking platform, just behind Katy Perry. But Next Big Sound’s numbers show his engagement level trumps hers. He averaged roughly 55,000 retweets per tweet in December, for instance. Perry managed around 6,800.

And on Instagram, Bieber’s posts average roughly twice as many likes as Perry’s, Next Big Sound account manager Jay Troop said in a telephone interview.

Even as his public image was deteriorating, Bieber’s audience was growing. Troop’s numbers show Bieber’s engagement levels roughly doubled from December 2012 to December 2014.

“Despite not having quite the same tempo of releases of some of the other artists that share his place right at the top of social media, he’s kind of more influential than ever there — and still growing,” Troop said.

So if Bieber’s core fans remain staunchly loyal, the people he wants to win over, perhaps, are the rest of us.

“The roast and video and everything else on ‘Ellen,’ that was not for fans. That’s for everybody else,” says Weston.

“What he has left is that core fanbase, and when it comes to his music, they’re the people that spend money. (But) nobody else is spending money on Justin Bieber except Justin Bieber superfans.”

These police booking mugs made available by the Miami Dade County Corrections Department show pop star Justin Bieber, who has recently apologized for his behaviour over the last few years. [THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Miami Dade County Jail]

Bieber is working furiously on a new album, which he hopes will be out this year, says his musical director, Toronto-based Dan Kanter.

He went all of 2014 without releasing a single, and his last widely heard artistic statement — 2012’s platinum “Believe” — was released only months after his 18th birthday. The record felt more transitional than transformational.

Bieber is in the studio “24/7,” testifies Kanter, and the young singer’s priorities are now straight.

“I know Justin like a brother,” Kanter says. “People forget that Justin is first and foremost a musician. He plays guitar, piano and drums. He’s an absolutely exceptional songwriter.

“Right now, he’s really in the right direction because he’s focusing all his attention on music. There’s nothing he cares about more than making music and sharing that music with his Beliebers.”

Kanter is one of a few seemingly steadying voices in Bieber’s life. If Bieber has seemed like he was heeding no one’s advice, well, the recent apology could be an indication that that’s changed.

“The fault with Justin Bieber has always been two things: one, he has really terrible people around him; and two, Justin Bieber has never looked at adults as anything other than a source of income,” says Weston.

“I’ve never met someone at a young age who had less respect for the adults around them, whether it be managers, producers, whoever it is.

“Even back when he was very young, Justin Bieber has always been the boss. (And) maybe he’s becoming an adult and he’s seeing that his place in the world isn’t where he thought it was.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/can-justin-bieber-rehabilitate-his-image-after-his-delinquent-2014/feed0People-Justin BieberthecanadianpressJustin Bieber leaves an event in Paris. Bieber has apologized for his bad behavior in a new video posted to Facebook. The singer says that his arrogant and conceited attitude over the last two years was just to cover up his true feelings.These police booking mugs made available by the Miami Dade County Corrections Department show pop star Justin Bieber, who has recently apologized for his behaviour over the last few years.Justin Bieber puts personal items on auction to help hometown food bankhttp://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-puts-personal-items-on-auction-to-help-hometown-food-bank
http://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-puts-personal-items-on-auction-to-help-hometown-food-bank#commentsSat, 31 Jan 2015 23:35:04 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=587022]]>STRATFORD, Ont. — Justin Bieber fans have the opportunity to snatch up a few of the Stratford native’s personal items for a good cause.

An eBay auction began on Saturday with Bieber’s used Toronto Maple Leafs comforter, pillow case, ceiling light and even a pair of his Nike basketball shoes — all of which were autographed by the pop star — starting at $500 U.S. each.

The auction will end at noon on Feb. 7 with the profits going to help support Stratford’s House of Blessing food bank.

Bieber’s grandparents, Diane and Bruce Dale, donated the items to raise money for the food bank and organizers say Bieber signed them when he was in the area over the holidays.

All of the items come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Bieber’s grandmother. The food bank says Bieber and his mother chose to donate the items because they were helped by the organization in their time of need.

A few hours into the auction only two of the items had bids — the shoes and the comforter.

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-puts-personal-items-on-auction-to-help-hometown-food-bank/feed0TV-Justin Bieber RoastthecanadianpressJustin Bieber apologizes for his behaviourhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-apologizes-for-his-behaviour
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-apologizes-for-his-behaviour#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 16:31:45 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=585759]]>A sombre Justin Bieber has posted a video to his fans insisting he’s not the person he was “pretending to be.”

In the confessional video, shot with a smartphone in a dimly lit room, the Stratford, Ont.-reared pop star says he’s afraid of how people will react to an appearance he had just shot for the “Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

“I was really nervous and I think I was nervous because I was afraid of what people are thinking about me right now,” said Bieber, speaking softly.

“I didn’t want to come off arrogant or conceited — or basically how I’ve been acting the past year, year and a half.

“I’m not who I pretended to be. And when I say pretending, we pretend to be something we’re not as a cover-up for what we’re truly feeling inside. And there are a lot of feelings going on in there.”

Bieber, who turns 21 on March 1, has been making more headlines than charts in recent years.

He hasn’t released a single since the non-album track “Confident” in December 2013. Instead, he’s become immersed in a series of reputation-staining scandals while casting a petulant demeanour.

He’s made headlines for warring with photographers, urinating into a restaurant mop bucket, vandalizing hotels, and egging neighbours of his posh suburban L.A. home.

Over the summer he pled guilty to careless driving and resisting arrest after being taken into custody while allegedly inebriated. He was also accused of street-racing through Miami Beach in a yellow Lamborghini.

Recently, however, Bieber has shown signs that he wants to rehabilitate his sullied image.

He posed for a Calvin Klein underwear campaign, performed an impromptu acoustic show in L.A., reacted with good humour to a recent “SNL” spoof, and agreed to subject himself to further mockery on an upcoming Comedy Central roast.

On “Ellen,” the host said she declined to participate in the roast because she “doesn’t like being mean to people,” and queried Bieber on why he would get involved.

“I think it’s just cool to be able to laugh at yourself,” he replied. “I’ve done some things that might not have been the greatest.”

“No, right?” replied Bieber. “I just want to be able to laugh about it and kind of own up to some of the things.”

In the video shot afterward, meanwhile, Bieber mused on the difficulty of coming of age in the public eye.

“Just being young and growing up in this business is hard. Growing up in general is hard,” he said.

“Although what’s happened in the past has happened, I just want to make the best impression on people and be kind and loving and gentle and soft.
“People can call me a softy — that’s how my mom raised me.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-apologizes-for-his-behaviour/feed1Justin BieberthecanadianpressRaps’ Lowry didn’t need over-the-top media campaign to deserve all-star statushttp://o.canada.com/sports/raptors-guard-kyle-lowry-named-starter-on-east-all-star-team
http://o.canada.com/sports/raptors-guard-kyle-lowry-named-starter-on-east-all-star-team#commentsFri, 23 Jan 2015 00:31:20 +0000https://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com?p=582671&preview_id=582671]]>TORONTO — It was the great Kanye West — yes, great; there are no valid arguments to the contrary — who provided us with a valuable lesson back in 2009: Do not treat silly things seriously.

That was when West rushed the stage at the MTV Video Awards, protesting Taylor Swift taking home the award for best female video for You Belong With Me over Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It). The brief rant led to endless Internet memes led by West’s “Imma let you finish, but (insert obvious truism here)” and also earned West near-universal criticism for interrupting the then-19-year-old Swift during one of the biggest moments of her career to date over such an inconsequential beef.

West’s essential argument — if you are going to hand out awards, they might as well reflect some sort of objectivity — was logical, and underscored when Single Ladies won video of the year. How could a clip not be the best female video but be named the best overall video? Nonetheless, West’s mistake was caring so intensely about a thing that did not merit it.

All of which is to say that caring about which players the fans vote to start in the NBA All-Star Game is a total waste of time and effort. If the public wants to see Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant, both putting up empty statistics for awful teams in big cities, play on that Sunday night in February, good for them. Yet, if the way that the Raptors have campaigned for fans to vote for Kyle Lowry has bothered you, you are not entirely wrong, either.

On Thursday evening, Lowry was named an all-star starter in the Eastern Conference. He trailed 10-time all-star Dwyane Wade by about 100,000 votes as of two weeks ago, but Raptors fans helped Lowry erase that deficit over the last 10 days of voting. The Toronto point guard will start alongside Washington’s John Wall. He joins Vince Carter and Chris Bosh as the only two Raptors to ever be selected by fans to start in the game. DeMar DeRozan and Antonio Davis also played in the All-Star Game as Raptors.

Undoubtedly, the Raptors’ push to get Lowry elected by the masses was the biggest reason this happened. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory all tweeted votes for Lowry, with retweets of those missives counting as votes as well. (Justin Bieber also voiced his support, but forgot to add the essential “#NBABallot” hashtag. That tweet had 46,305 retweets as of Thursday afternoon. The thousands of retweets made before Monday’s voting deadline were lost votes. This was the unquestioned highlight of the campaign.)

It did not stop with social media. The Raptors went beyond the usual pleas from the head coach to vote for a player. There were constant in-game reminders for fans to vote for Lowry at the Air Canada Centre, with arena employees wearing buttons urging fans to vote. Raptors television play-by-play man Matt Devlin basically made “Hashtag NBA Ballot” into Lowry’s new nickname during telecasts. The local sports radio stations, one each owned by the team’s co-owners Bell and Rogers, relentlessly pushed the cause as well. Many league-wide observers mocked the Raptors’ all-out approach, and its volume and intensity annoyed some local basketball fans, this one included.

In a way, it robbed Lowry of his ultimate vindication.

For years, people around the league viewed Lowry as a malcontent, a point guard who refused to trust his coaches and play nice with his teammates, particularly his fellow guards. That perception was at least the partial reason that both Memphis and Houston gave up on him, although it is more complicated than that.

A year ago, the coaches should have selected Lowry as an all-star reserve over DeRozan and certainly ahead of Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson. It is likely that the whispers from coaches around the league about Lowry’s stubbornness contributed to the snub. This year, given Lowry’s first two months, the coaches would have had no excuse for leaving Lowry off their ballots. They would have had to acknowledge Lowry’s play, and it surely would have been sweet. Sweeter than getting the nod from the fans? Hard to say.

Ultimately — here is that refrain again — it does not matter. Despite his recent dip in production — he is shooting 36 per cent from the floor during the team’s recent 11-game slide, during which the Raptors have gone 4-7 — Lowry is an obvious all-star. He is third, behind Jeff Teague and the oft-injured Wade, in player efficiency rating among Eastern Conference guards and second, behind Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, in ESPN’s estimated wins added metric. The same can be said about win shares. That does not touch on the intangibles that Lowry brings to the Raptors, which are not a mystery to anybody who has spent the last 14 months observing the team’s rise.

Lost amid the at-times obnoxious campaign to get Lowry voted to the game is this: He deserves it. He is Beyoncé.

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

• MOVIES

Big release on Jan. 2: The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death.

Big picture: Looking to “kill” the holiday spirit? Is Yuletide joy and New Year’s hope literally getting the best of you? Well, you’re in luck. You can start off 2015 by watching a vengeful spirit hunt English schoolchildren. Set during the Second World War, this sequel finds two teachers relocating a group of schoolchildren during the London blitz. Their place of solace? A creepy, remote, abandoned mansion in the countryside filled with antique dolls (and enough cobwebs to make you wonder if it’s Spider-Man’s summer home). What could possibly go wrong? German bombers are rapidly replaced by a new, otherworldly threat: the Woman in Black. (Just once I’d like to see an “ancient evil” update the colour scheme a little bit. By all means, hold on to that petty, beyond-the-grave vendetta, but modernize your “killing wardrobe” a touch. The Woman in Fuchsia? The Lady of Lavender? The Lord of Neon? Stop giving black a bad name.)

Forecast: Hollywood is getting a lump of coal in 2015. Less than one week after real kids get a visit from Santa, fictional kids get a gory visit from The Woman in Black. Shame on you.

My prediction is that Tinseltown will get repeat visits from its own “Angel of Death” in 2015: the Internet.

Joshua Sasse stars in the upcoming Galavant.

• TV

Big event: Galavant (Jan. 4, ABC)

Big picture: Looking for Game of Thrones meets The Princess Bride meets Broadway — with a touch of Glee? This musical miniseries serves up a song-filled, fairy-tale comedy about a downtrodden knight named Galavant (Joshua Sasse) plotting revenge against the villainous king (Timothy Omundson) who stole his gal (Mallory Jansen) — and maybe finding a new “true love” along the way. It fills the fantasy gap for Once Upon a Time, which returns March 1. Omundson’s musical numbers are killer. Sample lyrics: “I want to shoot him with a crossbow. I want to stab him in the eye.”

Forecast: If Galavant casts a spell on audiences, expect the trend to continue. Maybe a musical police procedural starring Ice-T and Donnie Wahlberg — or a musical courtroom drama starring Taylor Swift as a plucky, adorable, Nashville criminal lawyer. Sample promo: “She hits every note in the courtroom, but her love life is always out of tune.” Sigh. Must I think of everything?

Honourable mention: ET Canada’s New Year’s Eve at Niagara Falls (Dec. 31, Global). Looking for a reason to ring in the New Year with your eyes glued to a screen in a desperate attempt to avoid real human contact? You’re in luck. The networks are offering a glut of live concert specials. For the lone homegrown celebration, ET Canada’s personalities play host and performers include country megastar Keith Urban, Nick Jonas, Lights and Nickelback. When it comes to Nickelback, I’d prefer to spend a night listening to an alleyway filled with cuckoo clocks and feral cats in heat. But they are one of the best-selling bands in the world, so there is certainly a huge audience out there for this.

For U.S. festivities, ABC returns with six hours of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2015 (try saying that five times fast after your fifth drink). The Times Square love-in, also airing in Canada on City, features performances by the likes of Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Seacrest’s vacuous smile. Meanwhile, NBC offers New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (artists include Jay-Z and Rihanna) and Fox debuts Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution from Miami.

U.S singer Madonna.

• MUSIC Big release: Madonna (six songs from Rebel Heart).

Big picture: The recording industry is in hibernation this week, but Madonna has unexpectedly released six early songs (digitally) from her new album. All this to combat the recent online leak of what Madonna called “unfinished demos stolen long ago and not ready to be presented to the world.” I believe “unfinished demos” may be code word for “if you think these songs suck, I’ll release different ones.” The new Madge-sanctioned tracks include a club-destined duet with Nicki Minaj called B—- I’m Madonna. One of the Material Girl’s other new tracks is “Unapologetic B—-. So I guess we know what Madonna’s new favourite word is. Other collaborators on her 13th studio effort, due in March, include Diplo and Kanye West.

Forecast: All these leaks are taking their toll. In 2015, I envision the studios just throwing up their hands and handing over the music and movie release schedule to hackers and North Korea. But Madonna proves that her rebel heart keeps beating for her ongoing battle to remain forever young and “hip with the kids.” (Next year, I won’t be surprised to discover a secret pop ballad with Justin Bieber, or learn that Madonna is in a love triangle with two members of One Direction.)

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/pop-forecast-for-the-week-of-december-29-with-video-29-with-video/feed0Madonnapostmedianews1GALAVANTMadonnaTop 3 Canadian PR disasters of 2014 (with video)http://o.canada.com/news/top-3-canadian-pr-disasters-of-2014
http://o.canada.com/news/top-3-canadian-pr-disasters-of-2014#commentsTue, 23 Dec 2014 21:35:52 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=567426]]>I do love year-end round-ups. I’m about as guilty as anyone when it comes to devouring the Top 5 this or the Top 10 that. Round-ups provide us with a snapshot of the year that was — and in this case, a reminder of what happens when PR goes oh-so-wrong.

3. Rob and Doug Ford Amazingly – or not! – the Fords make another appearance on our year-end list. You can love to hate them, but there is no doubt these boys know how to keep us talking. Who can forget the Jimmy Kimmel appearance, the police investigations and the one-month stint in rehab? All of which appeared on the front page or the agenda of every evening newscast around the world.

Many PR pros thought perhaps the city’s infatuation with Rob Ford had ended when he re-entered the mayoral race after rehab. Not so. He still captured the lion’s share of the headlines and news coverage, much to the chagrin of the other candidates. Then came his cancer diagnosis, and his brother Doug’s bid to become mayor. If there’s one thing the Ford’s know is this: whatever they do and whatever they say will always be covered by the media.

One actually has to admire their tenacity and ability to ignore any negative narrative that comes their way. Many of us chuckled over their continued repetition of their campaign platform – no matter what the question was – but it clearly worked. Doug Ford’s strong showing in the mayoral election was a surprise to many – except of course to the Fords. Expect more of the same in 2015.

2. Justin Bieber He may be an international sensation, but really, he’s all ours, Canada. Early 2014 saw Bieber run through a series of embarrassing transgressions including: egging his neighbour’s house, drag-racing and being charged with a DUI while in Miami. This was compounded by a series of paparazzi altercations and a petition to have him deported from the United States – which amazingly garnered more than 200,000 signatures.

While much of this is certainly keeping his legal team busy, generating good PR to help reshape his image is generally absent – something I wrote about in this space back in January. To close out the year, Bieber seems to have gone blond to “have more fun.” My prediction? His new hair colour isn’t going to help resurrect his image in 2015 either.

1. Jian Ghomeshi It started with a firing, then the infamous Facebook post and it wasn’t until his lawyer, Marie Henein, shut the media down with her post-court appearance statement that the downward spiral of Jian Ghomeshi stopped – for now.

Initially, the PR strategy of getting out in front of the allegations of sexual violence seemed to work, though not for much longer than 48 hours. All it really did was bring the alleged victims out from the shadows, resulting in a field day of media exposés and rampant speculation.

The chatter has died down for now, but expect #GhomeshiGate to ramp up again with his second court appearance on Jan. 8, 2015. The media’s portrayal of the women who have come forward in this case will be precedent-setting – and could continue to set the tone when it comes to our perception of victims of sexual violence.

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

Forecast: This predictable laugher will reach for all the low-hanging comedic fruit. But I want to know how Hollywood can justify making sequels to B-grade 2011 comedies when we’ve been waiting 25 years for another Ghostbusters? Sounds like the real horrible bosses are sitting in the studio corner offices.

Honourable Mention: Penguins of Madagascar (Nov. 26). This reimagines the penguins of the animated franchise — Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private — as bumbling, secret spies. They team up with The North Wind, an elite task force (picture an all-animal X-Men, with Wolverine replaced by a polar bear) led by Agent Classified (Benedict Cumberbatch). The super villain is a maniacal octopus (picture Lex Luthor with tentacles) bent on, you guessed it, world domination.

Grumpy Cat attends last year’s The Friskies 2013 at Arena NYC in New York City.

Big Picture: You know the fall TV season is winding down when I’m left to promote Grumpy Cat as a “big event.” But how can I resist a cheeseball live-action TV movie starring the feline internet phenom – especially when she is being voiced by the underrated Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation). Canadian comic Russell Peters co-stars. Christmas has come early for those amused by the thought of Grumpy Cat blowing things up, wearing a monocle, shooting a paint ball gun, and generally acting surly towards anyone with an ounce of Christmas spirit. Grumpy Cat is like a hybrid of Garfield, a Gremlin and Russell Crowe.

Forecast: You thought Scrooge hated Christmas. Grumpy Cat’s barbs make the phrase “bah humbug” sound like an expression of yuletide joy. That said, if early clips are any indication, the screenwriters for this one likely deserves coal in their stockings. (But you can always just put the TV on mute and watch Grumpy Cat frown through her small-screen debut.)

Big Picture: Don’t worry, Pitbull’s album title doesn’t mean his lyrics are getting all political on us. Mr. Worldwide is back with track titles like Fun, Sexy Beaches, Day Drinking, and Wild Wild Love. I don’t expect the hip-hop megastar to be leading a protest any time soon. The rapper’s eighth album includes the hit song Time of Our Lives, a new collaboration with Ne-Yo, Celebrate (from the film Penguins of Madagascar) and We Are One (Ole Ola), the catchy, official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Forecast: Pitbull’s ongoing success will produce a new breed of hip-hop stars with canine monikers. Bring on the likes of Schnauzer, Shih Tzu, Beagle, Dachshund, Chihuahua, and Pug! (You can thank me later music industry; I just single-handedly slowed down your death spiral.)

Honourable Mention (Nov. 25): Simple Minds (Big Music): The venerable Scottish rockers return with their sweet 16 effort. Don’t judge the creativity of the album by its lacklustre title.

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

• MOVIES

Big Release on Nov. 21: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

Big Picture: Julianne Moore joins the franchise as District 13’s President Coin, who helps push Katniss into becoming the symbol of a growing rebellion against The Capital. (I’m hoping a couple of Ewoks make a franchise crossover to give the rebels a helping hand. They’re total pros when it comes to taking down evil empires.) Fans can expect the return of the dreamy Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth; Meanwhile, I can expect the return of daydreams involving Jennifer Lawrence falling in love with a humble journalist with zero survival instincts, while they’re being chased through the woods by murderous children, poisonous fog and killer bees … sigh). Part 1 of the finale hinges on Peta (Hutcherson) being turned into The Capital’s propaganda puppet, and Katniss’s (Lawrence) plan for his rescue. Can love — and a few choice crossbow arrows — save the day?

Forecast: Hollywood execs are starting to quiver in their fancy boots. The second-last Hunger Games, and still no true replacement young adult franchise in sight?! The original Hunger Games took the pain away from the end of Twilight (2012) and Harry Potter (2011). Despite countless film attempts with other novels, nothing has lived up to the colossal hype of these three mega series. My solution? Why not combine them? A “new” series about oppressed vampire child wizards, set in a dystopian future in which they’re annually forced to battle each other to the death on broomsticks in a domed Quidditch pitch – while simultaneously evading hormonal, shirtless werewolves. Ka-ching.

Katherine Heigl as Charleston Tucker in the new show State of Affairs.

• TV

Big Event: State of Affairs (Nov. 17, NBC/Global)

Big Picture: It’s an early Christmas miracle! Someone found a cast of actors actually willing to work with the notorious Katherine Heigl! The former TV star (Grey’s Anatomy) turned floundering movie star is slinking back to the small screen as a top-ranking CIA agent Charleston Tucker. She is tasked with providing the president (Alfre Woodard) a daily threat assessment — essentially a daily list of the greatest dangers facing the county, from terrorist threats to international crises. At night Tucker mainly has ill-advised, one-night stands to cope with the loss of her true love. (If Bill Clinton was still president, she could have accomplished all her objectives at the same meeting).

Forecast: Tucker’s fallen fiancé happened to also be the president’s son, and they are both bent on pay back against those who took his life. So this series’ is essentially Homeland meets West Wing meets Revenge (with a shade of Knocked Up). The only question is whether Heigl will get revenge on those critics who think that her career is flatlining.

The box set for The Art of McCartney, a celebration of the music of Paul McCartney, available November 18.

Forecast: I’m predicting a future Ringo Star tribute album by the likes of Miley Cyrus, Kesha, One Direction, Nickelback, Justin Bieber and Maroon 5. Miley would be all over Ringo’s 1973 single, Devil Woman. The cover art could even feature her twerking across Abbey Road.

Dishonourable Mention: One Direction (Four). I believe this album title refers to either average age — or IQ — of this groups’ fans. Then again, maybe I’m just jealous that I don’t have this band’s millions, three wildly successful concert movies under my belt, and adoring fans across the world. (Still, I would pay good money to see Harry Styles and company entered into the Hunger Games).

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/pop-forecast-for-nov-17-hunger-games-and-more-with-video/feed0Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1postmedianews1State of AffairsPaul McCartneyUsher on Drake, Bieber, his upcoming album and the UR Experience tourhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/usher-talks-drake-bieber-and-what-to-expect-when-his-ur-experience-comes-to-canada
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/usher-talks-drake-bieber-and-what-to-expect-when-his-ur-experience-comes-to-canada#commentsFri, 31 Oct 2014 17:30:47 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=538019]]>This past weekend, Usher broke his three-year live silence by launching the UR Experience tour with back-to-back shows in Montreal and Toronto. In a Canadian media exclusive, Canada.com’s Jonathan Dekel speaks to Usher about what he is planning for the tour, his relationship with Justin Bieber and how an appearance at Drake’s OVO Fest in Toronto inspired him to return to performing.

QYou stopped performing three years ago. What inspired you to get back out there?A I really wanted to reconnect with my fans; I missed the connection. I wanted to begin to lead the conversation in the direction helps us all understand what this is about: It’s 20 years of a connection of music and life experiences and being able to have this intimate setting where we talk through music — but it’s a conversation, it’s not just you showing up to hear Usher play his standard hits and that’s it; It’s an experience, and that’s why I called it the UR Experience.

QDid you gain a new perspective on your career in the off-time?A Working in television gave me a new perspective of who I am as an artist and as a musician. I tried different musical things there: I did covers and released them online. I did philanthropic things but still managed to keep it musical. So all of those fans, as well as those fans that have been there since the beginning are a part of this experience.

Q What is the “Experience” one can expect in this live conversation?A The idea is to make the show very unique: change the set, for example. It really is contingent upon what connection me and the audience have. They’re dictating the emotional ride through our interaction.

Q You recently admitted your love for the Dave Matthews Band. When you say, “change the set” do you mean in the style of DMB or Phish, where every night is a new show?A It will have a bit of production so I’m not going to tear away all the fabric of what I think people enjoy in coming to an Usher show because nowadays I think people are much more into the lights, the experience. When you go to shows now it’s a DJ playing and people are completely caught up into the lighting experience because they’re completely caught up in the music. But there’s no show out there like mine. The stripes of who I am come from the people who paved the way for me: Michael Jackson, James Brown … for me it is dance and my voice that has kept me going and captivated my audience. It’s about talking to the audience and having that interaction, it’s about breaking certain songs that were up-tempo down and just singing them. Really getting into the emotional aspect and breaking down what the records mean. There are also a lot of unexpected guests that are going to show up. It’s going to be a very relaxed, fun night.

I see the show a bit like Prince(‘s concerts): you never knew what was going to happen but you felt the energy, the lights, you saw the band was into it, they were completely jamming, and then he’d take it down and make it intimate and then he would maybe have a special guest come out. Every Prince show is very unique so I thought of him when I was creating the show.

Q You made a surprise appearance at Drake’s OVO Fest this summer. This sounds like it has a similar feel.A I had an incredible time at OVO. I’m really looking forward to coming back. I had an experience there where I really felt connected to the audience. One that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Honestly, I was really surprised. I was shocked.

Q Did it inspire you to tour again?A Yeah man. Toronto was crazy. And when we put the dates up Edmonton sold faster than any other dates in the world tour so … I guess I just always felt this great connection to Canada, down to the people I work with. For example, (Toronto director) Little X. I’ve had the culture, in some way, around me for a long time.

Q Including your role in introducing and mentoring Justin Bieber.A Definitely. Being a mentor [to Justin] in that way was an evolution for me.

Justin Bieber and Usher perform on NBC’s Today in 2011.

Q Do you still consider yourself his mentor or has your relationship changed as he’s grown up?A I’m always going to be there for him. Being a mentor is more than just being able to introduce him as an artist.

Q He’s obviously been in a bit of trouble recently. Has he reached out to you?A There’s not really much to talk about. He’s living out his life. I think that we all have experienced, been through sh-t, and you go through it. It’s my new motto: Sh-t happens, what are you going to?

Q I thought your motto was “evolve or evaporate”?A That has been a motto and will continue to be, but my latest one is “Sh-t happens. What you gonna do?” In life there’s always the unexpected turn of events and you have to continue to go. I don’t plan on stopping.

Q Speaking of which, what’s up with your album, UR? Its release date keeps on getting pushed back.A It’s on the horizon. I’m not finished with it. I’m just patient. There’s a process when making albums: I’ll make the album that I think I need to, then I’ll make the album that I think I’m compelled to. So I think I’ve gone through the first phase: I’ve made and produced and written and worked on songs that give me a compass as to where I’m going. And then I bring in the records and begin to shape it off of what I know I feel and where I am, emotionally.

Q Rumour has it Nicki Minaj, Pharrell and Ed Sheeran appear on the album. Can you confirm that?A Yup, Nicki, Pharrell and Ed are on there. Also Drake, Chris Brown. There have been a few other people that I’ve done some work with but I don’t know if they’ll make the album. Normally you work on anywhere from 20 to 30 to 40 records, maybe even 50, but you have to break it down to 12 at the end of the day and I haven’t even begun to do that.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/usher-talks-drake-bieber-and-what-to-expect-when-his-ur-experience-comes-to-canada/feed02014 MTV Video Music Awards - ArrivalsjonathandekelJustin Bieber and Usher perform on NBC's Today in 2011.Pop Forecast Oct. 6: Dracula: Untold, Weezer and morehttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/pop-forecast-oct-6-dracula-untold-weezer-and-more
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/pop-forecast-oct-6-dracula-untold-weezer-and-more#commentsMon, 06 Oct 2014 06:14:38 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=522979]]>Chris Lackner
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” Bob Dylan sang. But these days, a guide through the seemingly endless flurry of pop culture offerings is just what we need. With that in mind, here is what’s on the radar screen in TV, music and film for the coming week.

• MOVIES

Big Releases on Oct. 10: Dracula: Untold; The Judge

Big Picture: Imagine if, to save his family, Game of Thrones’ Ned Stark had opted to make a blood pact with an immortal monster — instead of honourably getting himself beheaded. That is essentially the premise of Dracula: Untold, the origin story that depicts how a noble Transylvanian prince is transformed into the world’s favourite, snaggle-toothed villain. It presents Vlad (Luke Evans) as an honourable man who makes a deal with the Devil, to become the Devil, to defeat a lesser Devil. You still following? The trouble begins when Vlad kills a powerful Sultan’s troops to protect his son from conscription. In one rash move, he’s attracted the wrath of a vengeful army. His quick fix: climb an isolated, nearly impenetrable mountain to visit a powerful, wish-granting cave creature (Confession: I tried something similar once to get out of washing the dishes). Drac’s demonic maker (Charles Dance) grants immortality — and the nifty perk of being able to transform into a giant flock of bats (which would totally kill
at medieval parties). But, of course, there’s a catch: Vlad’s loved ones are now also potential dinner appetizers.

Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. plays to type as Hank Palmer, “a charismatic, cocky jerk.” The big city lawyer must return to his hometown to defend his estranged father (Robert Duvall), a local judge suspected of murder. Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio and Billy Bob Thornton round out an all-star cast.

Forecast: Go batty. Am I the only one who would have preferred to see Downey Jr. as Dracula?

Honourable Mention: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In this Disney comedy about a family’s day of amusing misfortune, Jennifer Garner plays Steve Carell’s wife … which doesn’t sound all that “terrible” or “horrible.” Dream on Steve. You can only compete with Ben Affleck in the land of make believe.

Big Picture: Nerdy Barry Allen is transformed into “the fastest man alive” after being struck by mysterious, inter-dimensional lightning. Or antimatter. Or antimatter lightning. (The show’s fake scientists make my head hurt.) Suddenly Barry has chiselled abs, charisma and the ability to move faster than the speed of light. (For those keeping score at home, Superman can only move “faster than a speeding bullet.”) In the comics, The Flash can also time travel, so I’m hoping for an episode in which the newbie crime fighter goes back in time to prevent the launch of Duck Dynasty. Meanwhile, American Horror Story heads under the carnival big top for an all-new serialized season. Jessica Lange plays the head carny, spearheading the show’s standard crop of returning cast-members (Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Denis O’Hare etc.) This season will live in the shadow of Carnivale, HBO’s brilliant, short-lived epic (one of the best dramas of all-time). American Horror Story’s travelling freak show’s performers will include
conjoined twins (Sarah Paulsen), a boy with lobster-claw hands (Peters), a bearded lady (Kathy Bates), and a strongman (Michael Chiklis). The oddballs must band together to fend of sinister forces. Set in 1952, they are billed as America’s last travelling freak show (at least until Justin Bieber begins touring more than 50 years later.)

Forecast: The Flash will build viewers quickly. The Arrow spinoff could be the first of many. By 2015, I expect 95 per cent of all TV shows to be about comic book characters, Kardashians or celebrity chefs. As for American Horror Story, it may be running out of new subjects. For Season 5, is there anywhere else to go then down the well-trodden path of zombies or vampires? I have one idea. How about American Horror Story: Detroit?

Honourable Mention: The Walking Dead (Oct. 12, AMC). When we last saw them, Rick and the gang were reunited at long last — but trapped in a boxcar by potential cannibals. Tough to imagine these survivors being served as human chowder after years of avoiding becoming a zombie’s full-course dinner. (On a side note: Now that Hollywood is doing Dracula prequels, how about a Dracula sequel set during a zombie apocalypse — in which the vampire kingpin is running out of his favourite food group (us), and leads the search for a cure? Must I think of everything for you Hollywood hacks?)

Recording artist Rivers Cuomo of the music group Weezer during a recent performance.

• MUSIC

Big Releases on Oct. 7: Weezer (Everything Will Be Alright In The End)

Big Picture: Rivers Cuomo and Weezer are back for their first album in four years. Ten albums in, they are still haunted by their ’90s masterpieces, Pinkerton and the Blue Album. Producer Ric Ocasek was at the helm of the latter, and here he rekindles some of the old spark with songs like Cleopatra and Ain’t Got Nobody. Back To The Shack finds Cuomo singing about “rocking out like it’s ’94” and offering a vague apology — presumably for years of mediocrity.

Forecast: The album title sound like wishful thinking. (Oddly enough, it’s the same thing Dracula tells his son before things literally go to hell in a hand basket). But this is a big step up from Weezer’s 2009 and 2010 efforts. If their older fans still aren’t happy, I’d suggest building a time machine.
Honourable Mentions: Stevie Nicks (24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault); High Ends (Super Class). Fleetwood Mac’s Nicks unveils unrecorded songs spanning her entire career. Meanwhile, B.C.’s High Ends — a solo project by Yukon Blonde’s Jeffrey Innes — serve up a flawless, synth-laden indie rock debut. It lives up to its title, and then some.

Update: Last week’s column mentioned the buzz behind a potential Sept. 30 surprise release from Aretha Franklin. Her label has now officially announced that album will bow Oct. 21. Next time it won’t be a trick, it will be a treat.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/pop-forecast-oct-6-dracula-untold-weezer-and-more/feed0Robert Duvallpostmedianews1The FlashWeezerJustin Bieber arrested Friday near Stratford, Ontariohttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-arrested-friday-near-stratford
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-arrested-friday-near-stratford#commentsTue, 02 Sep 2014 15:38:57 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=507823]]>Justin Bieber was charged Friday with assault and dangerous driving after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving collided with a mini-van near his hometown of Stratford, On.

The 20-year-old popstar was arrested after provincial police responded to a crash between a Dodge minivan and ATV just before 3 p.m. on Friday. Const. Kees Wijnands with the Perth OPP said an occupant of the minivan and the driver of the ATV got into a fight.

Bieber was driving the ATV, his lawyer has since revealed, and was in southern Ontario on vacation with his on-and-off again girlfriend Selena Gomez.

It all went down on a country road in Perth East which lies between New Hamburg and Stratford, Ontario, about 20 minutes outside of Kitchener. Bieber grew up in Stratford but police now list his residence as in Calabasis, California.

No one was injured in the crash, Wijnands said.

The singer’s lawyer has blamed paparazzi for the crash in an email to the Canadian Press.

“Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s peaceful retreat in Stratford this weekend was unfortunately disrupted by the unwelcome presence of the paparazzi,” Brian Greenspan said in the email.

“Mr. Bieber and Ms. Gomez have fully cooperated in the police investigation. We are hopeful that this matter will be quickly resolved.”

Bieber, 20, posted pictures of himself and on-and-off girlfriend Gomez riding an ATV online on Friday.

That same day, he and his father posted pictures of themselves riding horses.

The assault charge was dropped after the Crown determined there was no reasonable chance of conviction

The charge stemmed from an early morning incident on Dec. 30, 2013, when Bieber and five other people were picked up by a limousine from a Toronto nightclub. The limo driver alleged he was assaulted by one of the passengers and contacted police, but the offending passenger left the scene before police arrived.

At the time, Toronto Police Const. Victor Kwong said he believed Bieber was in the limo at the time of the alleged attack.

“But whether he’s the guy who did the actual assaulting, I don’t know,” he said.

Bieber turned himself in on charges of assault to Toronto’s 52 Division in January, facing a massive crowd of fans and members of the media when doing so.

The singer himself was not in court on Monday.

The dropped charges are a rare bit of good news for the singer, who has found himself in legal hot water on numerous occasions this year. Most recently, Bieber was hit with another charge of assault as well as one charge of reckless driving following an Aug. 29 car crash in Stratford, Ont. Bieber was driving an ATV during that incident, and allegedly crashed into a minivan in Perth County, Ont.

Shortly before Bieber’s arrest for assault in Toronto in January, the singer was charged with reckless driving, driving while under the influence and resisting arrest without violence in Miami. The singer pleaded no contest to the charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest in that case, and was ordered to take anger management courses and pay a $50,000 fine, in addition to court charges.

The singer also recently pleaded no contest to vandalism charges stemming from an egging incident near his Calabasas, Calif., home. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and a fine of $80,000.

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-assault-charge-dropped-510568/feed0Justin Bieberthenationalpost1Justin Bieber may have bribed border guards to get friends into Canadahttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-may-have-bribed-border-guards-to-get-friends-into-canada
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-may-have-bribed-border-guards-to-get-friends-into-canada#commentsFri, 22 Aug 2014 18:55:18 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=503184]]>Border guards at the Niagara Falls USA-Canada crossing are reportedly under investigation after some of Justin Bieber’s friends with criminal records were allowed into the country.

The magazine reported that a Canadian Border Services Agency representative told them there was an incident at the Niagara Falls crossing but would not go into details.

The CBSA told Postmedia that there were “allegations of serious misconduct in the Southern Ontario Region” and “the Agency took immediate action.”

“These allegations include: accepting gifts, hospitality and other benefits; acceptances of travel offer from a third party and misuse of government electronic networks; abuse of authority; and, engaging in preferential treatment,” the CBSA wrote.

The CBSA said the internal investigation is not yet complete and they are not yet ready to discuss the accused or the possibility of police involvement. They would also not confirm or deny Justin Bieber’s involvement.

“For reasons of privacy, we cannot comment on individual cases,” they wrote.

The timing of this incident is also unclear. But the CBSA distributed a notice to guards in Southern Ontario on Aug. 12 warning them that accepting bribes will not be tolerated. It also encouraged officers to turn informant on one another if they observed this behaviour. The full text of that email is here:

Justin Bieber has not toured in Canada since last summer, his last appearances in Toronto were July 25 and 26 at the Air Canada Centre. He also appeared in January to turn himself into Toronto police following allegations of assault.

Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on January 29, 2014.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-may-have-bribed-border-guards-to-get-friends-into-canada/feed0Justin BieberthecanadadotcomJustin BieberJustin Bieber to take plea deal in Florida street racing case: sourceshttp://o.canada.com/news/national/justin-bieber-to-take-plea-deal-in-florida-street-racing-case-sources
http://o.canada.com/news/national/justin-bieber-to-take-plea-deal-in-florida-street-racing-case-sources#commentsWed, 13 Aug 2014 04:32:22 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=498612]]>MIAMI — Pop singer Justin Bieber will plead guilty to lesser charges over his arrest in South Florida in what police initially described as an illegal street race, two people involved in the case told The Associated Press.

The two people said Tuesday that the 20-year-old star would plead guilty to misdemeanour careless driving and resisting arrest without violence charges, rather than the original driving under the influence charge.

Bieber also will agree to take an anger management course and make a $50,000 charitable donation, in addition to paying court-ordered fines. The plea agreement does not call for any jail time.

The two people insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly before a Wednesday court hearing. Bieber is not expected to attend the hearing. The Miami Herald first reported the plea deal.

Bieber was arrested early Jan. 23 in Miami Beach after what police described as an illegal street race between Bieber’s rented Lamborghini and a Ferrari driven by R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff. Neither was charged with drag racing and there was little evidence they were even exceeding posted speed limits.

Alcohol breath tests found Bieber’s level below the 0.02 limit for underage drivers, but urine tests showed the presence of marijuana and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in his system. Bieber was also charged with resisting arrest after a profanity-laced tirade against police officers, as well as driving on an expired license.

In July, Bieber resolved another criminal case by pleading no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a neighbour’s house in Los Angeles. In that case, Bieber agreed to pay more than $80,000 in damages and meet a number of other conditions.

Bieber is also charged in Toronto with assaulting a limousine driver in late December. His lawyers have said he is not guilty in that case.

Also in Miami, Bieber is being sued by a photographer who says he was roughed up while snapping pictures of the singer outside a recording studio.

The Canadian-born Bieber shot to stardom at age 15, with his career overseen by two music industry heavyweights, singer Usher and manager Scooter Braun, after initially gaining notice through YouTube videos.

He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his 2010 full-length album debut “My World 2.0.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/national/justin-bieber-to-take-plea-deal-in-florida-street-racing-case-sources/feed1Justin BiebertheassociatedpresscanadaJustin Bieber gets 2 years probation after pleading no contest to vandalismhttp://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-to-be-charged-with-misdemeanour-vandalism-in-egg-throwing-incident
http://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-to-be-charged-with-misdemeanour-vandalism-in-egg-throwing-incident#commentsWed, 09 Jul 2014 16:26:25 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=481735]]>VAN NUYS, Calif. — Justin Bieber has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour vandalism charge for throwing eggs at a home in his Calabasas neighbourhood, and he’s been sentenced to two years’ probation.

Bieber was also ordered to pay $80,900 in damages, complete five days of community labour and a 12-week anger-management program, and stay away from the victim and his family for two years.

The Grammy-nominated singer was not present for the Wednesday arraignment at Superior Court in Van Nuys.

A spokeswoman for Bieber says he’s glad to have the matter resolved and behind him.

Prosecutors spent months considering whether to file charges after the singer’s mansion was searched following the January incident. A detective wrote that someone matching Bieber’s description was seen on video high-fiving his friends at the time of the incident.

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/justin-bieber-to-be-charged-with-misdemeanour-vandalism-in-egg-throwing-incident/feed0Justin BiebertheassociatedpresscanadaEugenie Bouchard dogged by sexist Bieber questions in run to Wimbledon finalhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/eugenie-bouchard-justin-bieber-wimbledon-final
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/eugenie-bouchard-justin-bieber-wimbledon-final#commentsFri, 04 Jul 2014 17:30:34 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=479161]]>Eugenie Bouchard may have made tennis history at Wimbledon this week, but that monumental achievement wasn’t what media at a post-match news conference were eager to discuss with the 20-year-old.

Following Bouchard’s semifinal win Thursday, the Quebec native who has inspired a nation was instead asked whether she thinks pop star Justin Bieber is aware that she’s the first tennis player from Canada to reach a Grand Slam title match.

“I hope so,” she said with a smile. “I’m putting in so much hard work. I want to see this hard work rewarded.”

A follow up question was then lobbed: “So he’s not been in touch, then?”

“You know,” Bouchard said, going along with the joke , “he’s kind of been in trouble recently so…I’m not associated with that at the moment. But, you know, if he cleans up his image. …”

The discussion was framed as follow up to a controversial question put to Bouchard after she won her quarter-final match the Australian Open in January. During an on-court interview, the rising tennis star was asked who she’d like to go out on a date with — and she quickly gave Bieber’s name. (He responded by sending a tweet wishing her good luck.)

Regarded by most as a sexist line of inquiry (even the on court reporter appeared bashful about it) Bouchard also took that incident in stride, later claiming that she wasn’t bothered because it was entertainment for her fans.

Bouchard, who will face Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic in Saturday’s final at the All England Club, was also asked Thursday whether Bieber might be Royal Box “material” at Centre Court, where actors and singers mix with sports stars and monarchs.

“He’s not?” Bouchard said. “They really wouldn’t allow him in the Royal Box if he came? I feel like he would manage to get himself in there somehow.”

It’s important to note that Bouchard’s fellow Canadian Wimbledon contender Milos Raonic was spared such questioning.

Twenty-year-old Bouchard is the first Canadian to make it to a Wimbledon final and is being hailed as the “Queen of the court,” and British press seem especially enamoured with her royal name.

Bouchard was reportedly named after Princess Eugenie of York, daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. What’s more, Bouchard’s twin sister Beatrice was named after that royal couple’s other daughter, Princess Beatrice of York.

With the final match on Saturday, Bouchard can be seen on several front pages, including The Times, Daily Express, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail.

However, with some added context from reports of Ford’s bad behaviour, it pieces together some recent scandalous nights in his tenure as mayor.

The first clips in the video above come from March 15, the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. Ford is seen having difficulty opening a locked door at City Hall around 10:30 p.m. A security guard assists the mayor before he walks outside to join a group by the curb.

This is the same night, according to a report in the Toronto Star, that Ford invited four men he met outside City Hall back to his home then out to Muzik nightclub. While there, the Star reports Ford drank to excess, ran into Justin Bieber and disappeared into a bathroom for 45 minutes.

The next clips in the security video come from April 5, the night Ford reportedly “belligerent” during a hockey game at the Air Canada Centre and was denied entry to a VIP lounge.

In the footage shot in City Hall’s parking garage, Ford is seen entering the building just after 10:15 p.m. with two unidentified men. The mayor is wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey and appears red in the face. The three get into an elevator.

Again on this night, the Star reported Ford went back to Muzik nightclub where, according to a witness the Star spoke with, he did lines of cocaine.

Later that night, Ford is seen getting into a waiting cab back in the parking garage. In the morning, another man, identified by media is the mayor’s nephew, is seen driving Ford’s car out of the garage.

Ford is currently at a rehab facility in Bracebridge, Ont. and was last seen out and about for his birthday last Wednesday at a restaurant. According to a CBC News report, his drink of choice was diet pop.

My wife just took this Pic of Rob Ford at her work in Muskoka… Celebrating his 45 Birthday… Cheers Rob lol pic.twitter.com/mPFjLRLcH5

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/security-video-shows-rob-ford-struggling-with-a-door-getting-into-cab/feed0ford_doorthecanadadotcomTV Wednesday: Justin Bieber adds twist to So You Think You Can Dance openerhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/tv-wednesday-justin-bieber-adds-twist-to-so-you-think-you-can-dance-opener
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/tv-wednesday-justin-bieber-adds-twist-to-so-you-think-you-can-dance-opener#commentsMon, 26 May 2014 20:14:30 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=452552]]>

So You Think You Can Dance returns with a twist: Justin Bieber.

SYTYCD fans may be forgiven for thinking their show can stand on its own two feet, without any help from The Bieb, but no matter. We live in the age of celebrity, and celebrity will not be denied, whether it’s needed or not.

Bieber and his choreographer Nick DeMoura will introduce dance crews during the audition shows, beginning Wednesday.

There are four audition shows in all, and Bieber and DeMoura will be in all of them. Hashtags will appear on the screen following each audition, so viewers can tweet their favourite choices. The most popular crew overall will be invited to perform on the finale.

The competition itself remains unchanged, though, thankfully: Solo dancers will compete for a shot at being named the season’s best dancer, and a shot at a reputable dance company. In the past, winners have ranged from a 16-year-old high-schooler to classically trained ballet artists, so all bets are off. It’s that unpredictability, and the idea that just about anyone with talent can win, that gives SYTYCD the edge over the more staid, conservative Dancing with the Stars.

SYTYCD has managed to stay young and lively, even as the older, more regal Dancing has lost a step in recent seasons. SYTYCD focuses on young unknowns hoping to land a gig, and possibly a lasting career, with an established dance company, where Dancing focuses on celebrities who wouldn’t be there if not for the professional dance partners who make them look good on camera.

SYTYCD won’t bust the ratings charts, even with Bieber in the mix. After 10 seasons, its audience pretty much knows what it is. The Bieb may draw a few curiosity seekers at first, but only for the first few episodes, before he disappears and goes on to the next publicity stunt. The show’s the thing. And as regular viewers of SYTYCD know, this show rocks. (CTV, Fox)

Also Watch

The self-explanatory One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles is just that, a salute to the 87-year-old comedy legend with guests David Letterman — Rickles is a longtime hero of Letterman’s — Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Kimmel and Bob Newhart, among others. You know what to expect. (Spike)

Summer may be the time of erudite TV fare such as Masterpiece Mystery’s new episodes of Endeavour and the final episodes of Poirot, beginning June 29; FX’s The Bridge, back some time in July; HBO’s The Newsroom, returning for its final season starting July 13; and Showtime’s Masters of Sex, also resuming July 13.

For the mainstream broadcast networks, though summer is the silly season, the time to put your brain on pause.

Forget The Good Wife, or even Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. Now’s the time for Undateable, Bet on Your Baby, Sing Your Face Off, Mistresses, Wipeout and Welcome to Sweden.

The Amazing Race Canada is again poised to be the summer’s major TV talking point, starting July 8. For those who find Amazing Race too intellectually challenging, there’s always another season of Big Brother.

Here’s a quick look at some of the sillier fare you can expect to see in the coming weeks and months:

A Wipeout contestant tackles the Big Balls

The BacheloretteMondays, starting May 19, City, ABC
At first glance, Andi Dorfman, 26, has it all — a loving family, great friends and a dream job. Something is missing, though: a reliable significant other. And what better way to find a reliable significant other than on a summer reality show?Rookie BlueMondays, starting May 19, Global; airs Thursdays on ABC, starting July 17
15 Division welcomes two new members in Rookie Blue’s fifth season: Rent-A-Goalie’s Oliver Becker signs on as a new squad commander looking to make his bones, and Degrassi: Next Generation alum Matthew Owen Murray as the newest rookie, Duncan “Selfie” Moore. Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith, Enuka Okuma and Charlotte Sullivan reprise their roles.Last Comic StandingThursdays, starting May 22, NBC
Comedy icons Roseanne Barr, the artist formerly known as Roseanne, and Keenen Ivory Wayans host a summer show billed as “America’s most compelling comedy competition” — which is another way of saying, only comedy competition, but we digress.America’s Got TalentTuesdays, starting May 27, City, NBC
Yes, the plate spinners, black light dance troupes and mime singers are back, for one more turn in the summer TV spotlight. Grammarians need not apply.The Night ShiftTuesdays, starting May 27, NBC
A summer sitcom starring Vancouver’s Brendan Fehr and Ken Leung about the wacky goings-on on the night shift at San Antonio Memorial Hospital. Stop it, you’re killing me.UndateableThursdays, starting May 29, NBC
A summer sitcom from the creator of Scrubs, Cougar Town and Clone High about dudes, and the occasional dudette, who have a hard time landing a date thanks to a lack of style, that bad haircut or just being in the wrong job. Starring Whitney’s Chris D’Elia, David Fynn, late of Game of Thrones, and standup comedians Ron Funches, Brent Morin and Rick Glassman.

Rick Glassman, left, and Briga Heelan in Undateable

A summer sitcom from the creator of Scrubs, Cougar Town and Clone High about dudes, and the occasional dudette, who have a hard time landing a date thanks to a lack of style, that bad haircut or just being in the wrong job. Starring Whitney’s Chris D’Elia, David Fynn, late of Game of Thrones, and stand-up comedians Ron Funches, Brent Morin and Rick Glassman.

CrossbonesFridays, starting May 30, Global, NBC
John Malkovich, sporting the Don Cherry look — i.e. a full-on white goatee — plays a white-bearded Blackbeard in a (presumably) stylish costume drama from the creator of the BBC crime epic Luther, set in 1729 on the fictitious island of Santa Compana. Think mayhem on the high seas.

John Malkovich as Blackbeard, right, in Crossbones

John Malkovich, left, and Richard Coyle in Crossbones

Bet on Your BabySaturdays, starting May 31, ABC
“All parents think they know their baby well,” the tagline goes, “but are they willing to bet on it?” The mind, it fair boggles. Baby Daddy star and working mom Melissa Peterman hosts what the network is billing as an “adorable, hilarious and surprisingly suspenseful game show.” The phrase “surprisingly suspenseful” makes it sound like The Hunger Games, but presumably it isn’t that.Sing Your Face OffSaturdays, starting May 31, NBC
A talent competition in which celebrity contestants such as the Toronto Raptors’ Landy Fields and comedian Jon Lovitz train to perform as legendary music icons like Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and, yes, Justin Bieber. John Barrowman hosts; Debbie Gibson and former Saturday Night Live player Darrell Hammond are the judges.

MistressesMondays, starting June 2, CTV, ABC
They’re back for a second season of secrecy, scandal and the never-ending “path to self-discovery.” Alyssa Milano, Junjin Kim, Rochelle Aytes and Jes Macallan reprise their roles.Rising StarSundays, starting June 22, CTV, ABC
Another singing competition, but this time with a twist: The audience has final say over who stays and who goes … in real time. Think of Rising Star as American Idol for the Twitter age. Based on a popular hit from Israel.WipeoutSundays, starting June 22, ABC
Big Balls are back. Wipeout’s trademark obstacle, returns, alongside such old reliables as “Sucker Punch,” the “Dreadmill,” “Dizzy Dummy” and the “Wipeout Zone,” in an all-star edition that pits former champions against one another. Model and former Punk’d player Jill Wagner returns to provide reaction and commentary, and why wouldn’t she? It’s summer! It’s fun! It’s Wipeout!

Jill Wagner is back on Wipeout

Big BrotherWednesdays, starting June 25, Global, CBS
A new group of Houseguests agrees to be sequestered in near-complete seclusion in the Big Brother house for a 16th season. Near-seclusion, that is, except for the banks of hidden video cameras and microphones recording every breath they take, every move they make and every bond they break.

Julie Chen, right, is back to host Big Brother

RecklessSundays, starting June 29, Global, CBS
Think of a summer version of The Good Wife, set in the sultry heat of the Deep South. Jamie Sawyer plays a cool-headed Chicago litigator who moves to Charleston, South Carolina, where she learns to match wits against the good ol’ boys of the Carolina courts.Under the DomeMondays, starting June 30, Global, CBS
Big daddy’s back. The summer TV blockbuster based on the Stephen King novel returns with Dean Norris reprising his role of James “Big Jim” Rennie, the resident megalomaniac of Chester’s Mill, Maine, a town sealed under a giant dome and cut off from the outside world. Existential question: Can they still get TV?

Dean Norris in Under the Dome

The Amazing Race CanadaTuesdays, starting July 8, CTV
The all-Canadian edition of the venerable, Emmy-winning reality staple broke summer ratings records in its first Race last year, and there’s no reason to think it won’t do the same this time around. Calgary native and Olympic gold-medal-winning skeleton racer Jon Montgomery returns as host, so he clearly knows a thing or two about winning a race.

Jon Montgomery returns for his second season as host

ExtantWednesdays, starting July 9, Global, CBS
Halle Berry stars in this 13-episode serialized drama about an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family following a year in space, all the while dealing with what, judging from the promos, looks like an unexpected pregnancy. Complications, complications. From producer Steven Spielberg.

Halle Berry in Extinct

Welcome to SwedenThursdays, starting July 10, NBC
He’s a successful money manager to the stars in New York; she’s the young woman from Sweden he dotes on and adores. When she decides to move back to Sweden to be closer to her family, and he goes along for the ride, the pickled herring hits the fan in a summer sitcom starring Greg Poehler, Josephine Bornebusch and Lena Olin.

Greg Poehler in Welcome to Sweden

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/summer-tv-preview-this-is-your-brain-on-pause/feed0Crossbones - Season 1alxstrachanWipeoutUndateable - Season 1Crossbones - Season 1CrossbonesSing Your Face OffWipeoutBig BrotherUnder the DomeThe Amazing Race CanadaExtinctWelcome to SwedenWhere in the world is Rob Ford?http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-awol-441203
http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-awol-441203#commentsTue, 06 May 2014 13:39:27 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=441203]]>Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is not at a Chicago drug treatment centre despite flying to the Windy City Thursday following yet more revelations about his drug and alcohol use.

Ford landed in Chicago but “voluntarily withdrew his application to enter the USA,” Roy Norton, Consul General of Canada in Chicago, told The Globe and Mail.

Ford’s lawyer Dennis Morris, commonly known as the Hotmail Lawyer, did not reveal the mayor’s current whereabouts to reporters but maintains he is in a rehab facility getting help for addiction. As the Toronto Sun reports, Ford may be holed up at the Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ont., which includes addiction treatment as well as mental health, weight loss and other programs.

The Sun cited an unnamed source for its report but could not confirm the information in a phone call to the treatment centre.

It’s not clear why Ford would have changed his mind about entering the U.S. but people can be barred from entering the country for previous drug use. Last month British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson was stopped from boarding a London flight to Los Angeles after admitting to cocaine use during a court case, and even federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau may find trouble at the border over his admission of smoking pot while sitting as an MP.

A traveller to the U.S. may also be denied entry if he or she is “determined to be a drug abuser or addict,” according to the State Department website.

Ford previously admitted smoking crack cocaine during a “drunken stupor” and another video allegedly showing the mayor smoking crack surfaced last week. Additional reports of the mayor’s drunken night out at the Muzik nightclub in Toronto, where he made sexist remarks about an opponent and got insulted by fellow trainwreck Justin Bieber, prompted Ford to finally seek help for his substance abuse.

“I know that I need professional help,” the mayor said in a statement April 30. “I am now 100 per cent committed to getting myself right.”

“I have a problem with alcohol and the choices I have made while under the influence. I have struggled with this for some time.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-awol-441203/feed1Rob FordishmaeldaroRob Ford silently takes rehab as NDP leader Tom Mulcair chimes in (with video)http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-silent-as-he-takes-rehab-as-outrage-starts-going-federal
http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-silent-as-he-takes-rehab-as-outrage-starts-going-federal#commentsThu, 01 May 2014 22:00:27 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=438995]]>TORONTO — Mayor Rob Ford left home Thursday bound for rehab hours after announcing plans to deal with his substance-abuse problems amid a triple dose of scandalizing revelations that have raised further questions about his fitness for office.

Confronted with reports of a recent video showing him allegedly smoking crack cocaine, an audio recording of the mayor spewing profanities and making lewd comments about a fellow mayoral contender, and witness accounts of him snorting cocaine at a city nightclub, Ford took a leave of absence to seek “immediate help.”

“He realizes that he’s not well and in need of help. He’s just running off the rails. That’s something he now appreciates.”

Ford did not speak to reporters in front of his home as he left in a two-car convoy Thursday morning.

A private plane flew him to Chicago, Global TV reported, while CBC cited Coun. Doug Ford as saying his brother would be spending 30 days at an unspecified addictions facility.

At a news conference, an emotional Doug Ford said facing your problems and deciding to seek help is not easy and that he loves and supports his brother and his family.

The scandal-plagued mayor’s latest woes began late Wednesday, with a trio of damaging newspaper reports that raised new questions about his conduct.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford leave his home early Thursday May 1, 2014.

The Globe and Mail said a drug dealer had shown two of its reporters video of Ford allegedly smoking what was said to be crack in the basement of his sister’s home early Saturday morning.

The paper said it paid $10,000 for frame grabs showing Ford holding a copper pipe.

American website Gawker.com, which first broke word of a video purportedly showing Ford smoking crack cocaine a year ago, published similar photos. Gawker said it had rejected a drug dealer’s request for “six figures” for videos.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is shown with what appears to be a pipe in an image taken from the Gawker.com website. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Gawker.com

Morris said it was not possible to know what was in the pipe seen in the photographs.

Then, in an audio recording at a bar obtained by the Toronto Sun, Ford is heard making anti-gay remarks, using an ethnic slur, and saying he would like to “jam” rival candidate Karen Stintz.

The mayor said he didn’t remember the events Monday night but confirmed being at the bar, the Sun reported.

In a third report based on sources, the Toronto Star published details of “two nights of utter debauchery” involving Ford at a Toronto nightclub a few weeks ago.

At one point, Ford almost got into an altercation with pop idol Justin Bieber, who jokingly asked the mayor if he had any crack cocaine with him, the paper said.

The Canadian Press has not independently verified the various reports. The owner of the nightclub issued a statement saying he had not seen Ford using illegal drugs and did not condone their use.

Ford has steadfastly refused to step down and had insisted for months he is neither an addict nor an alcoholic.

That changed late Wednesday.

“I have a problem with alcohol and the choices I have made while under the influence,” he said in a statement.

Statement from Mayor Rob Ford on April 30, 2014.

“I have tried to deal with these issues by myself over the past year. I know that I need professional help and I am now 100 per cent committed to getting myself right.”

Despite his leave from both the mayor’s office and his re-election campaign, Ford will apparently remain in the running for October’s municipal vote.

Ford critics and supporters took to social media with gusto.

“Unfit for office,” one person tweeted. “Rob and Doug Ford have lied for almost four years to the citizens of Toronto. Why should they be believed now?” another said.

Others were supportive, with one calling the media “cockroaches” in a tweet.

Last year, Ford admitted smoking crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” but later said he had cleaned up his act and was working out.

However, he was forced to admit he had resumed drinking after another videotaped incident in which he used Jamaican swear words and slagged the city’s police chief.

Police began investigating Ford after a guns and gangs probe turned up wiretaps that allegedly captured conversations about the first “crack” video. A friend of Ford’s is charged with extortion related to attempts to retrieve the video.

Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said “investigators would be interested to see the new information.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/rob-ford-silent-as-he-takes-rehab-as-outrage-starts-going-federal/feed10.000000 0.0000000.0000000.000000Ford Substance AbusethecanadianpressToronto Mayor Rob Ford leave his home early Thursday May 1, 2014.Rob FordRob Ford StatementRob FordJustin Bieber back in the U.S.A. after being detained by customs officialshttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-back-in-the-u-s-a-after-being-detained-by-customs-officials
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-back-in-the-u-s-a-after-being-detained-by-customs-officials#commentsFri, 25 Apr 2014 19:49:40 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=435597]]>Singer Justin Bieber has been detained by immigration officials at Los Angeles International Airport after trying to re-enter the United States after a trip to Tokyo.]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-back-in-the-u-s-a-after-being-detained-by-customs-officials/feed0FILE-Justin-Bieber-Detained-At-LAX.jpgthecanadadotcomJustin Bieber CD replacement prank turns into publicity blitz for electronic musician Paz Dylanhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-believe-prank
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-believe-prank#commentsWed, 02 Apr 2014 19:30:02 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=421255]]>By Derrik J. Lang

LOS ANGELES — An artist is making it difficult to believe there’s actually a copy of Justin Bieber’s latest album for sale in Los Angeles.

Paz Dylan, a 25-year-old electronic musician and artist known only as Paz, says he planted 5,000 copies of an album that appears to be Bieber’s “Believe” but actually contains a copy of Dylan’s own CD.

The fakes appeared at retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart on Tuesday, April Fools’ Day.

“We were meticulous,” said Paz, who fancies the stunt as more of a performance art piece than a gag. “We paid a lot of attention to detail because we wanted these to stay up on shelves as long as possible.”

The wrapped CDs resemble “Believe” right down to the bar code and silky Bieber portrait on the cover. However, Paz’s artwork is on the inside of the back cover, and the disc itself is slathered with images of cats, pizzas and a dog stuffed inside a taco.

The CD itself contains the 13 tracks from Paz’s synth-heavy independent release “From the Bottom of My Heart to the Top of Your Lungs.”

The only differentiating factor is that Paz’s subversive CD package lacks the kind of sticker that usually covers the top of a CD case, which is found beneath the wrapper of most unopened albums.

The Associated Press independently verified the stunt by purchasing random copies of what looked like Bieber’s “Believe” from widely scattered Los Angeles-area locations such as a Wal-Mart in Baldwin Hills, Target in Burbank and Best Buy stores in West Hollywood and Culver City.

In each instance, the CDs were scanned and paid for as if they were Bieber CDs. But when they were opened outside the store, each contained a copy of Paz’s album, not Bieber’s.

“Although Mr. Dylan is clearly not a Belieber, we know that many of our customers are, and we are taking care of those who didn’t get what they intended to purchase,” said Best Buy spokeswoman Carly Morris.

Target spokesman Evan Lapiska said the company was aware of the claim and was investigating the matter, while Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sarah McKinney said customers could return the CD for a full refund or the real version.

“We know that every great artist wants to get on the shelf at Wal-Mart, but there’s a right way to do it,” said McKinney. “All of our L.A. stores are making an extra effort to ensure this faux Bieber CD is removed.”

A message left for Bieber’s spokeswoman wasn’t immediately returned.

Why did Paz replace Bieber and not some other performer’s CD?

“The world won’t really miss a Justin Bieber record,” said Paz.

Paz said he wanted to use big-box retailers as his artistic canvas by “droplifting” his music into the hands of consumers.

“The general idea is that retail stores make it almost impossible for independent musicians to get their music in there,” said Paz. “I’ve always believed that retail stores can be the best outlets and ambassadors for independent music. They just choose not to be and sell the same recycled (expletive). We thought if they’re going to lock their doors to independent musicians, we’re just going to knock them down and get our music in there.”

Paz, who enlisted fellow artists for the city-wide switcheroo, declined to say how much it cost to produce the mock albums or what he did with the existing Bieber records on store shelves.

“I think legal repercussions are always a possibility when you do performance pieces,” said Paz. “Sometimes you have to take risks for your art.”

It’s not Paz’s first music industry prank. Last year, he slipped photos of himself into the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles and hung them on the wall next to the likes of Grammy winners Calle 13 and Maria Rita.

Tegan and Sara’s pop hit, Closer, won single of the year. The Calgary-bred Quin twins, who released their first album in 2002, were also named group of the year. “Canada has been supporting us since the ’90s,” gushed Sara Quin, referring to the duo’s early incarnation as Sara and Tegan. “Thank you so much.”

The two Junos brought their weekend (and career total) tally to three. The sisters also won pop album of the year for their slick, synthy reinvention, Heartthrob, during Saturday’s gala.

Sunday’s telecast kicked off with a slightly awkward mash-up of songs by two of the Junos’ hosts — Serena Ryder’s What I Wouldn’t Do and Classified’s Three Foot Tall, accompanied by a children’s choir. The third host, country crooner Johnny Reid, followed by singing a few lines from Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet. (You ain’t heard nothing bad — Classified accidentally let loose a four-letter word while introducing the women’s Olympic curling champions, but it was bleeped out in the broadcast.)

Serena Ryder receives a Juno for Songwriter of the Year during the Juno Awards in Winnipeg, Sunday, March 30, 2014.

Ryder, who also dropped a few cusses, was named songwriter of the year, to go with her artist of the year honour from the previous night. “Oh my gosh, my pants are falling down,” she said as she accepted the former award. “I lost a bit of weight because I stopped drinking for the Junos to be on point.”

She then gave props to Justin Bieber, who was booed earlier when his name was announced as the winner of fan choice of the year — his fourth in a row. As expected, the troubled pop star didn’t attend the ceremonies.

A Tribe Called Red did — and went home with the Juno for breakthrough group of the year. Arcade Fire’s dance-rock epic, Reflektor, won album of the year, the group’s second effort to do so (The Suburbs grabbed the award in 2011). The Montreal musicians couldn’t accept their award in person — Win Butler and his bandmates were in Santiago, Chile for Lollapalooza — but they did pre-tape a performance of one of their songs, Afterlife.

A Tribe Called Red arrives on the red carpet during the Juno Awards in Winnipeg, Sunday, March 30, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

Robin Thicke was also a no-show, quelling the mounting controversy around the Blurred Lines singer. The three-time nominee was supposed to perform his international smash, but pulled out of the broadcast because he needed “vocal rest,” according to a statement from CTV and the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He also cancelled gigs on Friday and Saturday night.

About 1,700 people had signed an online petition asking Juno organizers to bar Thicke from the show, arguing Blurred Lines is too sexist and degrading to women. Others questioned his Juno eligibility. Thicke, born in America, holds dual citizenship thanks to his Canadian father Alan Thicke.

While only six Junos were handed out during Sunday’s telecast, another 35 were announced the night before. Manitoba native and acclaimed violinist James Ehnes won two Junos, while Arcade Fire, Drake, Johnny Reid, Matt Mays and Brett Kissel each picked up an award at Saturday’s gala.

Kissel, 23, and his lucky cowboy hat took home the Juno for breakthrough artist of the year. The Edmonton expat, who now lives in Nashville, released his Warner debut, Started With a Song, last October. He recorded his first album when he was 12 — the same year he got his black hat at Lammle’s, an Alberta chain of clothing stores. “I’ll never get rid of it because it’s brought me incredible luck,” he told journalists.

Kissel was also one of Sunday’s performers, taking part in a medley of country tunes with another Alberta cowboy, Gord Bamford, and B.C.’s Dean Brody.

The night ended with The Sheepdogs, Tim Hicks and winner Matt Mays paying tribute to Bachman-Turner Overdrive, this year’s inductees into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/junos-2014-tegan-and-sara-serena-ryder-win-top-awards/feed0Tegan and Sarapostmedianews1Serena Ryder, Junos 2014A Tribe Called Red Justin Bieber voted celebrity most in need of sleephttp://o.canada.com/life/justin-bieber-voted-celebrity-most-in-need-of-sleep
http://o.canada.com/life/justin-bieber-voted-celebrity-most-in-need-of-sleep#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 15:25:30 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=413800]]>On the heels of becoming the youngest solo artist to have five U.S. number-one albums, Justin Bieber has scored another first. The singer was voted the overstressed celebrity most in need of a good night’s sleep in a survey by online bedding retailer Boll & Branch. Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan nabbed second and third spot respectively.

The results come at a time when sleep, or lack of it, is top of mind for many. World Sleep Day — a call to action on important sleep issues — was on March 14, and sleep deprivation from the clocks springing forward an hour on March 9 isn’t yet a distant memory.

Also, millions of Canadians continue to be sleep deprived, with 60 per cent of adults saying they feel tired most of the time, and on average, getting only 6.9 hours of sleep, according to a 2011 report from the World Association of Sleep Medicine.

Bieber’s Bad Decisions Tied to Sleep Deprivation

So the survey wasn’t just for fun, notes Boll & Branch. It underlined the serious message about the benefits of quality, restful sleep, which, when limited, leads to a host of problems including making bad decisions, which Scott Tannen, Boll & Branch’s CEO, suspects is the reason why Bieber is in the news so often for all the wrong reasons.

Donna Arand, clinical director of the Kettering Sleep Disorders Center in Dayton, Ohio, agrees. “People who are sleep deprived have very poor judgment when evaluating their own performance,” she said in a news release. “They think they are doing well on memory, eye-hand coordination tests or (good) behavior, but they’re not.”

The manufacturer and retailer of luxury organic bedding didn’t resist the opportunity to tie a bit of corporate buzz to the Bieber finding.

“I chalk Justin’s news-making decisions up to the fact that his sheets are most likely lacking the quality and comfort that Boll & Branch sheets provide,” said Tannen. Therefore, we’ll be making sure Mr. Bieber gets a set of our 100-per-cent organic sheets.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/life/justin-bieber-voted-celebrity-most-in-need-of-sleep/feed1Justin Bieberandy860TV Saturday: Da Vinci’s Demons an endearingly entertaining look at Renaissance historyhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/melissa-to-handle-tv-saturday-da-vincis-demons-an-endearingly-entertaining-look-at-renaissance-history
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/melissa-to-handle-tv-saturday-da-vincis-demons-an-endearingly-entertaining-look-at-renaissance-history#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 17:37:48 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=413890]]>Da Vinci’s Demons and historical accuracy go about as well together as Game of Thrones and Shakespeare. No one should base a term paper on it. It was conceived and written, after all, by creator of the Blade trilogy and co-writer of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight movies, David S. Goyer.

The aim is rip-roarin’, hellzapoppin’ entertainment.

And as Da Vinci’s Demons returns for its second season, it delivers. This is no dry, musty costume drama. The young Leonardo, as played by British theatre actor Tom Riley, is cut more from the DiCaprio cloth than the Italian Renaissance painter-sculptor-mathematician-engineer of historical record, and Da Vinci’s Demons is more enjoyable for it.

Demons focuses on da Vinci’s various and sundry romantic liaisons, his mercurial relationship with the Catholic Church and his squabbles, political and financial, with the Medici and Pazzi clans of Renaissance Florence.

PHOTO: Tonto Films and TelevisionDa Vinci’s Demons has a hip, modern vibe. And while it’s messy and hard to follow at times, it manages to entertain without being silly.

The new season picks up with Da Vinci resolved to bring Lorenzo de’ Medici, ruler of Florence, back from the dead as it were, by doing “whatever it takes” — as they would learn to say in later centuries.

In the coming weeks, Da Vinci’s Demons will venture to the New World and a look at Inca Peru in the time of the conquistadors. Oh, the glory! Disease, pestilence and jungle bugs notwithstanding.

Demons has a hip, modern vibe. And while it’s messy and hard to follow at times, it manages to entertain without being silly.

The cast — Blake Ritson as da Vinci’s nemesis and foil, the conspiratorial Count Girolamo Riario of Imola; Laura Haddock as Lucrezia Donati, mistress to the Medicis and da Vinci’s secret lover; Eros Vlahos as da Vinci’s overly attentive apprentice, Niccoló (Nico) Machiavelli — are up to the job for the most part.

Da Vinci’s Demons doesn’t rock exactly, but it is freewheeling — a romp through history that provides an unapologetically eccentric view of a free thinker and man ahead of his time. (Super Channel 10 ET/7 PT)

Also Watch

Leonardo — DiCaprio this time, not da Vinci — joins Jonah Hill in a Saturday Night Live repeat from January. This episode was also notable for marking Seth Meyers’ second-last appearance as “Weekend Update” anchor, and this line about Jeremy Bieber, Justin Bieber’s dad: “He’s what you’d get if Ed Hardy released a line of people.” The musical guest is Bastille. (Global, NBC, 11:35 ET/PT)

Heck, the Toronto Zoo named a polar bear. Yes, a polar bear being named Humphrey — really, Humphrey, for a bear — seems like a better use of your time than watching a pint-sized delinquent Canadian pop star piddle into a jailhouse urinal.

You still want to watch it, don’t you? You fink.

WARNING: Video does not contain any nudity. You’re actually just watching a famous person walk to a urinal.

MIAMI — Justin Bieber walks unsteadily and even appears to stumble while performing a sobriety test shortly after his January arrest on driving under the influence and other charges, according to police video released Wednesday.

Only a few moments depict Bieber in the roughly 10 hours of video released by Miami-Dade County prosecutors following public records requests from The Associated Press and other news organizations.

The videos were recorded at the Miami Beach Police Department shortly after Bieber and R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff were arrested during what officers said was an illegal street drag race in exotic sports cars. They were not charged with drag racing, however.

These police booking mugs made available by the Miami Dade County Corrections Department show pop star Justin Bieber, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014.

In one clip, Bieber — dressed in a dark hoodie with the hood over his head, dark baggy shorts and bright red shoes — wavers as he tries to walk carefully and slowly heel to toe. He stumbles slightly as he turns and appears to have his arms out for balance. In a second try he stumbles again, even reaching out to a wall for support, and has an animated face-to-face conversation with a police officer in which both point fingers at each other.

There are only brief glimpses of the pop singer’s face and no close-ups in the medium-quality video, which also included no time codes to determine how long he underwent the sobriety tests.

Other brief clips show Bieber being walked through various parts of the police station, and one previously released video depicted the 19-year-old singer being patted down by an officer. None of the videos have any sound.

Sharieff is also depicted in some segments, sitting quietly in a chair and watching Bieber undergo the sobriety test. At one point the two appear to be talking and Sharieff raises a clenched fist.

Several clips were withheld at the request of Bieber’s attorneys, including four segments depicting Bieber urinating into a cup for a drug test. Miami-Dade County Judge William Altfield will review those clips private and plans another hearing next week on whether they will be released.

Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014.

Bieber has pleaded not guilty to DUI, resisting arrest and driving with an invalid license. Breath tests showed that his blood-alcohol content was below the 0.02 level considered intoxicated for underage drivers, but the urine test found the presence of marijuana and the antidepressant Xanax.

Bieber’s attorneys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the videos.

Police reports described Bieber after his arrest as “excited, talkative, profanity, co-operative, insulting, and cocky” and noted that he had a pronounced odour of alcohol on his breath, bloodshot eyes and a flushed face.

Regarding the marijuana, one officer said he noticed a strong smell of the drug while Bieber was sitting in the back of a police car. The officer asked Bieber about it.

“Yeah, we were smoking all night at the studio,” the report quotes Bieber as replying.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-staggers-around-florida-jail-in-sobriety-test-video/feed1theassociatedpresscanadaThese police booking mugs made available by the Miami Dade County Corrections Department show pop star Justin Bieber, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014.TV Monday: The Voice earns street cred (with video)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-monday-the-voice-earns-street-cred
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-monday-the-voice-earns-street-cred#commentsMon, 24 Feb 2014 06:33:35 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=400071]]>Usher is back in the house on The Voice, alongside Shakira. TV’s most engaging singing competition returns with a renewed energy on the heels of the Olympics, with Voice originals Adam Levine and Blake Shelton returning to the fold once again.

The Voice last ended on a high note in December, with Jamaican-born R & B singer Tessanne Chin, 28, edging 16-year-old Jacquie Lee in the final vote. And while The Voice has yet to break a major act, Lee’s coming close marked the second season in a row a young teenager made it to the last dance. The previous season, 17-year-old country artist Danielle Bradbery, coached by Shelton, CMA male vocalist of the year, gave The Voice a legitimacy and youthful street cred that has eluded American Idol in recent seasons. It’s worth noting that, in the December finale, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, OneRepublic and Ne-Yo all performed live. The Voice is no joke.

PHOTO: NBCBlake Shelton on The Voice

Usher introduced such acts as Rico Love, singer Rayan, the R & B group One Chance and a relative unknown named Justin Bieber through his US Records vanity label, but finding that winning combination on The Voice has proved a tougher challenge. With Levine and Shelton both laying claim to past winners, Usher hopes to add to his portfolio this time around.

“You make investments in these artists, these talents,” Usher told TV’s Extra recently. “There’s something that can happen that’s positive. I’m excited about the potential of what’s going to happen, the new ideas that just kind of come up. I shock myself a lot of times ‘cause I don’t know what I’m doing when I’m in there. I just go with what I feel.”

Not unlike the way a lot of people watch TV.

Also watch

Gerry Dee goes back to school, post-Olympics, in a one-off hidden-camera reality TV special, Gerry Dee: The Substitute, in which he poses as an over-the-top substitute teacher at an actual private school. A new episode of Mr. D follows, in which D. (Dee) learns he has one shot at meeting his hockey hero and getting his priceless Team Canada jersey autographed — but only if he shirks his duties. (CBC, 8 ET/CT/MT/PT)

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-monday-the-voice-earns-street-cred/feed0The Voice - Season 6alxstrachanThe Voice - Season 6TV Tuesday: Generation Like probes teens and social mediahttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-tuesday-generation-like-probes-teens-link-with-social-media
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-tuesday-generation-like-probes-teens-link-with-social-media#commentsTue, 18 Feb 2014 07:13:40 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=396771]]>Marshall McLuhan would have related, even if he wouldn’t always have understood. Today’s generation of teens and young adults is wired as never before, interacting in real time with celebrities, brand names and themselves through social media and instant messaging.

Like Rushkoff’s earlier Frontline programs The Persuaders, The Merchants of Cool and Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier, Generation Like is an interesting idea, but falls short in the execution. It asks big questions — do kids think they’re being used or are they in control? Why study to become a doctor or medical researcher if you can be Justin Bieber? — but is short on big answers.

A panel discussion for Generation Like at the Television Critics Association press tour

As a TV program, Generation Like is scattered and disorganized, much like its subject, with no central focus or defining theme other than “the times, they are a-changin’.”

Ads are coming at us faster, we’re told, but they’re no longer ads per se: They’re opportunities to “like,” full of “moments” to “share.” Rushkoff looks around and sees a wired media world where corporations have co-opted individual thought by shaping and manipulating Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to their own nefarious ends. The word “empowerment” has itself been co-opted, he argues. It’s now little more than a brand construct, lulling today’s millennials into a false belief that they’re thinking for themselves. On Planet Zuckerberg, slickly designed marketing campaigns pass for grassroots movements. Social movements revolve around familiar brand names in a world where everything is calculated and nothing is left to chance.

The premise loses something in the explaining, though. Rushkoff — a New York-born, Princeton-educated media theorist and documentary filmmaker — writes books with self-explanatory titles like Cyberia: Life in the Trenches of Cyberspace, Media Virus! Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture, Playing the Future: What We Can Learn from Digital Kids, and Coercion: Why We Listen to What “They” Say. Rushkoff is a fine orator, equal parts McLuhan and Noam Chomsky, convincing at times but verging on incoherent at others. McLuhan was right, of course: The medium is the message, but when the message is as muddled as this it can be hard to keep track.

PHOTO: PBSOliver Luckett of theAudience. For its celebrity clients, the company aims to build armies of fans across social media

Generation Like is fascinating to watch, if not always easy to like. Think of it as random thinking in action, the teenage brain at work. Generation Like is food for thought, and well worth a look — if you’re tired of the Olympics, that is, and want something more thought-provoking. You may not love Generation Like, but you’ll be glad you found the time to watch.

Generation Like airs Tuesday, 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. MT/CT, PBS

Three to See

• American Idol reaches another milestone: the first live show of the 13th season, in which the 15 remaining female singers have one last chance to impress the judges — and viewers — on the first night of what the show’s producers are calling Rush Week. Rush Week is a new twist, intended to speed the process and hopefully woo new fans into the fold, or convince fans who’ve fled to return. We’ll see. (8 p.m. ET/PT, 10 p.m. MT, 7 p.m. CT, CTV Two/Fox)

• The issue is trust. The Goldbergs, TV’s latest bid to revive The Wonder Years, repeats one of its stronger episodes from earlier in the season, in which Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) loses her trust in her daughter Erica (Hayley Orrantia), just as her son Adam (Sean Giambrone) is starting to doubt his own friendship with his best friend. (9 p.m. ET/PT, 10 p.m. MT, 8 p.m. CT, CTV/ABC)

• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shines the spotlight on three high-profile guests in just Fallon’s second night as host: Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig and a relative unknown who goes by the name of Lady Gaga. (12:05 a.m. ET/PT, 1:05 a.m. MT, 11 p.m. CT, CTV Two/NBC)

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/tv-tuesday-generation-like-probes-teens-link-with-social-media/feed1Doug RushkoffalxstrachanGeneration LikeGeneration LikeJuno nominees a reminder that Canadian music could use a few new noisemakershttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/juno-nominees-2014
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/juno-nominees-2014#commentsTue, 04 Feb 2014 16:30:57 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=392495]]>How great would it have been if Justin Bieber was announced as a leading nominee at the 2014 Juno Awards after his month of big trouble?

The annual awards show could have positioned itself as a champion of anarchy at a time when the Canadian music industry has settled into a 21st century rhythm that is infuriatingly earnest.

But the tempo was upbeat during the Tuesday morning announcement of the shortlists in each category for the televised event scheduled for March 30 in Winnipeg.

A host was not announced for the CTV broadcast, although attendees at the downtown Toronto Design Exchange building learned that Arcade Fire were nominated six times, Michael Buble and Serena Ryder each got five nods and Tegan and Sara, Drake, Celine Dion and Hedley scored four.

Bieber’s acknowledgment was limited to the nominees for the Juno Fan Choice Award (Presented by TD) where he appears alongside a predictable list of names, including Robin Thicke.

The closest the awards might come to being controversial this year, in fact, is whether the “Blurred Lines” singer deserves a place in the awards show when he was born in Los Angeles and presumably only lived north of the border when his dad, Kirkland Lake, Ont.-born Alan Thicke, hosted a daytime talk show for CTV between 1980 and 1983. (Dual citizen Robin does hold a Canadian passport, though.)

The full album that Bieber released last year, Journals, would have missed the Juno deadline due to its release just before Christmas, but there was no apparent interest in acknowledging the individual tracks issued during the eligibility period.

A sober presentation of what to expect at the Junos countered what now draws an audience to live award shows: Glitz and glamour that folks sitting at home can snark on social media about. But limited details about the broadcast made it seem like the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has no interest in playing to that audience.

Rather, the event appears to be leaning on Canadians to get enthusiastic about uploading their own homemade video versions of “Takin’ Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, who will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame during the ceremony.

Rather, the event seems determined to be taken more seriously than ever for its recognition of Canadian musical talent, as the self-titled Avril Lavigne album produced by new husband Chad Kroeger also failed to register with academy voters.

At least one ambassador of anarchy was in attendance at the announcement, though: Joel “deadmau5″ Zimmerman stood in the back of the room in his bright Converse sneakers — one yellow and one blue — warily watching the nomination rundown while sipping from his signature Tim Hortons cup.

When his latest album — >album title goes here< — was cited among finalists for Electronic Album of the Year, deadmau5 reacted with a tongue-in-cheek shout: “I’m not Canadian!”

But few would have heard him above the pre-recorded voice reading off names in 41 categories.

PHOTO: NBCJay Leno — pictured with Canadian animal expert Dave Salmoni, left –tried to appeal to a broad spectrum right from the beginning.

It’s hard to remember now, but Jay Leno was once one of David Letterman’s favourite late-night guests. It was the 1980s. Leno was a rising standup comedian at the time. His specialty was mocking TV — everything from identical twins to over-the-top car chases and ’80s hair.

“Have you ever noticed?” became his signature line, as in, “Have you ever noticed how all newsmen always use the same metaphors?”

Letterman was the upstart host of an experimental, startup talk show called Late Night, which followed The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson weeknights on NBC.

It seemed as if Carson would be there forever.

PHOTO: NBCThe Tonight Show With Jay Leno was a difficult adjustment. Leno — shown during the show’s early years — was a standup comedian by nature, and TV cameras made him uncomfortable at first.

When, finally, it was time for Carson to leave — some insist to this day that he was pushed — it was assumed the torch would pass to Letterman. Letterman made no secret of his ambition. Carson was Letterman’s idol, his mentor, a father figure and a close friend besides.

Instead, the torch passed to Leno, and the rest, as they say, was TV history.

“Just how pissed off are you?” Carson famously asked Letterman, on the air, shortly before his departure. Letterman’s response was drowned out by laughter from the studio audience.

That was then, this is now.

Leno is going out Thursday as the de facto king of late night, the unassailable ratings champion of the late-night talk-show circuit and a favourite with middle America, if not always fondly regarded by media critics.

Leno won over his audience with long, nightly monologues — he became known as the man of 1,000 monologues — simple, easy-to-understand, regularly scheduled comedy bits like Headlines, in which he read inadvertently silly newspaper headlines, and Jay-Walking, in which he took his camera to the street and asked passersby seemingly simple questions like, “Who is the secretary general of the UN?” followed by, “Can you name the Spice Girls?”

PHOTO: NBCJay Leno, right, with actor Jim Carrey in a 1995 show, goes out Thursday as the de facto king of late night.

It was a difficult adjustment at first. Leno was a standup comedian by nature, and TV cameras made him uncomfortable — at first.

“I never liked the distance of hearing laughs but not seeing faces,” he explained at the time.

His defining moment — the moment he never looked back — came in 1995, when he convinced a chastened and clearly embarrassed Hugh Grant to apologize for an illicit sexual liaison with a woman not his wife, with the timeless words: “What the hell were you thinking?”

PHOTO: NBCActor Hugh Grant, left, during an interview with host Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, two weeks after Grant’s highly publicized arrest for picking up a prostitute.

From that moment on, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno led the late-night ratings race, and Leno never looked back. U.S. presidents came and went. Arnold Schwarzenegger famously broke with tradition and announced his candidacy for governor of California, not at a planned press conference, but live on Tonight.

The rival late-night program Late Show with David Letterman was faster and funnier, but Leno achieved something Letterman never did, despite Letterman’s younger, hipper audience and critical praise: The Tonight Show became the late-night talk show of record, just as it had been under Carson.

Leno played his Everyman mien to the hilt. He dismissed the Tonight Show controversy with Conan O’Brien by quipping that everyone gets a secret kick out of watching “rich white people arguing.”

Leno tried to appeal to a broad spectrum of viewers from the beginning, telling 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft in a recent segment, “If you look at the monologue, for every smart and insightful joke there’s a goofy joke and a silly joke and a fun joke and a clever joke.”

In the end, time caught up with him. He never quite got Twitter, he told Kroft.

“I’m not going to be up on the latest Justin Bieber record.”

He’s walking away from late-night TV, this time for good. He will go back to his first love, he told Kroft — touring.

“I like going on the road,” he said. “I like making people laugh.” And this time, he will be able to see their faces again.

Leno’s final show will be Thursday, and his final guest will be the same person who was his first guest on May 25, 1992 — Billy Crystal.

PHOTO: NBCJay Leno — shown with Dana Carvey, left, and Steve Irwin, right — tried to appeal to a broad spectrum of viewers from the beginning.

It’s bound to be an emotional farewell, and it will draw a huge audience — even if his critics will be watching Matt Damon and George Clooney on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The times, they have a-changed.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/why-jay-leno-mattered-with-video/feed0The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Season 22alxstrachanThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoThe Tonight Show With Jay LenoJustin Bieber’s misadventures continue with assault chargehttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-biebers-misadventures-continue-with-assault-charge
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-biebers-misadventures-continue-with-assault-charge#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 19:52:24 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=390466]]>It’s been a busy few weeks for Justin Bieber: Allegations that he egged his neighbour’s house, was drag racing while drunk in Miami, and finally, that he assaulted a limo driver in Toronto.

Toronto Police refused to confirm whether reports of his imminent arrival were true, but that didn’t stop a crowd of journalists and Beliebers from congregating outside a police station in downtown Toronto. And sure enough, there he was, the boy wonder.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for J.B., since he had a music video coming out at pretty much the exact same time as he was being processed at the cop shop. But don’t let all his legal troubles distract you. He is still a consummate professional. In fact, he seems to have recorded an Instagram promo while at the station.

Bieber has also retained the same high-powered law firm defending Sandro Lisi, the friend of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford who is facing extortion charges over the crack video.

And thus, we have the stories of this country’s two biggest tabloid celebrities finally converging.

Closer to home, Ford appeared in a bizarre new video in which he fakes a Jamaican accent and appears intoxicated. He later admitted he’d been drinking — but didn’t he go sober just two months ago?

On this week’s Flip Side, we look at what these two men have in common and how the media covers addiction and mental health in the celebrity realm.

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/flip-side-how-media-covers-rob-ford-and-justin-bieber/feed0FLIPSIDE_FINALlaurenstrapaDavid Letterman’s Top Ten Pieces of Advice Rob Ford Gave to Justin Bieberhttp://o.canada.com/news/david-letterman-rob-ford-justin-bieber
http://o.canada.com/news/david-letterman-rob-ford-justin-bieber#commentsFri, 31 Jan 2014 20:30:06 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=391173]]>Late Show with David Letterman offered its fifth Top Ten list about Rob Ford on Thursday night, this time tied to the other world-famous individual who Toronto police had on their radar recently, which led to Justin Bieber being charged with assault — shortly after the mayor was sued for his alleged role in a jailhouse beating.

]]>http://o.canada.com/news/david-letterman-rob-ford-justin-bieber/feed1FordBieberthecanadadotcomAmericans want Justin Bieber expelled from U.S.http://o.canada.com/news/americans-want-justin-bieber-expelled-from-u-s
http://o.canada.com/news/americans-want-justin-bieber-expelled-from-u-s#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 17:37:10 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=390510]]>WASHINGTON – Singer Justin Bieber is in trouble with the American public, and they want him to get out of town.

More than 200,000 people have signed petitions to deport him for his “terrible” influence on the nation’s youth, his bad music and his “drug-abusing” destructive behavior.

Bieber was recently arrested for drag racing down a Miami Beach street and faces charges in Toronto for allegedly assaulting a limo driver. The trials of the 19-year-old pop star are favoured topics across U.S. national news stations and are no doubt a boost to the fading image on the teen rocker from Stratford, Ont.

So far Americans have filed two petitions on the White House website, demanding Bieber’s deportation and the revocation of his green card. In total, the petitions received 213,944 signatures as of noon Thursday.

The first petition was filed Jan. 23, by the anonymous J.A., of Detroit.

Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. Toronto police say pop star Justin Bieber did not film a video promoting his music while in their custody. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

It states: “We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture. We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked. He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nations youth. We the people would like to remove Justin Bieber from our society.”

Support so far: 199,095 signatures and rising.

The second petition, filed by RadioNOW 100.9, of Indianapolis, states: “Forescore (sic) and 19 years ago America was a place of serenity before our ears were tainted by Justin Bieber’s abominable music and the images of him peeing in mop buckets and atop the snowcapped Colorado mountains. He has shown that he is incapable of contributing anything to our society other than stimulating the marijuana industry, single-handedly keeping the saggy hammer-pants trend alive, and giving Selena Gomez inspiration to write break-up songs. Taxpayers say NO MORE to footing the bill for his little jail slumber parties. Send him back to Canada, revoke his green card and his hair gel. RadioNOW 100.9 believes that insuring Bieber-free streets is the only way to insure that we the people of the United States can once again achieve liberty and justice for all..even one less lonely girl.”

Support so far: 23,590 signatures and climbing.

But a battle of petitions is forming. Bieber supporters have filed three counter petitions.

One demands the White House “Stop Justin Bieber from getting deported. He is a human being and he makes mistakes.”

Filed Jan. 25 by A.G. in Hobart, Indiana, it states: “The whole idea of Justin Drew Bieber getting deported, is completely unfair. He doesn’t deserve this…. With your help, we can stop it. He’s human. He’s not perfect. The media sees the bad side of him. Please. He’s saved so many lives. Including mine. A lifesaver, Shouldn’t deserve this.”

Support so far: 3,202 signatures and limping.

A second petition demands the White House: “Consider to not deport Justin Bieber.”

Filed Jan. 24 by J.C. of Paterson, New Jersey, it states: “Instead of looking at all the horrible events that Justin Bieber has been through why not the good? People only look at his bad boy aura and not everything that he has done to help around the world. He has donated so much money to charity’s (sic) but people over look that fact. Also, what about all these celebrity’s (sic) that have done so much worse. For example, Chris Brown was charged for women abuse but was let off the hook. Just because he’s Justin Bieber and not some rapper doesn’t mean he deserves this.”

Total support so far: 1745. Not great, but it’s early days.

The U.S. first amendment gives citizens the right to petition the government to take action on pretty well any issue they want. Americans make full use of this right with dozens of petitions filed daily.

Other recent petitions demand the government invade the Ukraine, legalize cannabis across the U.S., renew unemployment insurance and allow tow trucks to run colors in their light bars other than amber.

Petitions must reach 100,000 signatures within 30 days to get a response from the White House. The administration will definitely have to respond to the Bieber situation.

Another prominent Canadian to win petition status is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. But the petition to make him an honorary American citizen went nowhere.

Ford was asked about the pop singer when he spoke by phone today to hosts on the Washington, D.C.-based Sports Junkies radio show.

Ford said Bieber is only 19 and asked the radio personalities, who called Bieber “Canada’s worst export,” to think back to when they were that age. On Wednesday, Bieber was charged in Toronto with assault.

Ford, who has become internationally known for his many headline grabbing moments in recent months, says he’s never met Bieber and is not a fan of his music, preferring Rush and Led Zeppelin.

Bieber has a court date on March 10 in connection with allegations the pop star hit a limousine driver in the back of the head when he was in Toronto on Dec. 30.

Bieber is also facing charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired licence in Florida. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Florida and his Canadian lawyer says Bieber is innocent of the Toronto charge.

Ford was also asked by the radio hosts about a lawsuit filed against him from his sister’s ex-boyfriend, alleging the mayor conspired to have him attacked in jail to prevent his illicit behaviours from becoming publicly known.

The mayor said he would not discuss the matter since it is before the courts, but his lawyer said Wednesday the allegations are “without fact or foundation.”

Ford’s comment on Bieber was: “He’s a young guy, 19 years old. I wish I was as successful as he was.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/rob-ford-on-justin-bieber-hes-only-19/feed0FordBieberthecanadianpressDid Bieber just shoot a music video promo from inside a Toronto police station?http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/01/29/did-justin-bieber-just-shoot-a-promo-for-his-new-music-video-from-inside-a-toronto-police-station/
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/01/29/did-justin-bieber-just-shoot-a-promo-for-his-new-music-video-from-inside-a-toronto-police-station/#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 02:36:15 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=390310]]>It is not clear what Justin Bieber did during his Wednesday night stint at Toronto Police’s 52 Division, although it appears the pop star took a few seconds inside to record an impromptu promo for his new music video, Confident.]]>http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/01/29/did-justin-bieber-just-shoot-a-promo-for-his-new-music-video-from-inside-a-toronto-police-station/feed0Justin BieberthecanadadotcomJustin Bieber charged with assault for alleged attack on Toronto limo driverhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-faces-charges-for-alleged-assault-against-toronto-limo-driver
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-faces-charges-for-alleged-assault-against-toronto-limo-driver#commentsWed, 29 Jan 2014 22:20:31 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=390182]]>Justin Bieber’s reputation for violence and recklessness got another boost Wednesday when the Canadian pop singer was charged in Toronto for assault of a limo driver.

The charge stems from an incident on Dec. 30, when a limousine driver says someone in Bieber’s entourage attacked him while he was ferrying the group around Toronto. The driver is said to have exited the vehicle and called police, but the assailant left the scene before cops arrived.

It was not clear at the time if the 19-year-old singer had taken part in the alleged assault, but the charge provides the impression that he played a role, at least according to the driver.

It was a chaotic scene at the 52 Division police station Wednesday as reports surfaced the mega-star was on his way to Toronto for criminal charges. Toronto Police, likely aware of the media circus that would ensue, originally refused to confirm whether Bieber was headed back to Canada to face charges. “So please don’t bother calling,” advised the official police Twitter account.

However, the leaked news turned out to be true and Bieber arrived at the 52 Division police station at about 7:30 p.m., wading through a crowd of journalists and screaming Beliebers as his entourage waited outside. He apparently recorded a promotional video on his Instagram account and then managed to sneak past media without being seen some time before 9:30.

According to a police statement, Bieber — identified as a resident of Calabasas, Calif. — is scheduled to appear in court at Toronto’s Old City Hall on Monday, March 10 at 11 a.m.

“Our position is that Mr. Bieber is innocent,” the teen heartthrob’s lawyers said in a terse written statement, insisting it was “inappropriate to address the specifics” of the case.

Incidentally, the singer has chosen the same law firm representing Alexander “Sandro” Lisi, friend of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, finally bridging the tragic storylines of Canada’s two biggest celebrities.

The assault charge is only the latest of legal troubles for the pop singer.

Bieber was arrested Jan. 23 in Miami and booked for driving under the influence during a drag race, only weeks after his California home was raided by police after the singer allegedly egged his neighbour’s house and caused thousands in damages to the home.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-faces-charges-for-alleged-assault-against-toronto-limo-driver/feed4Justin BieberishmaeldaroCanadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)Canadian musician Justin Bieber is swarmed by media and police officers as he turns himself into city police in Toronto on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)Canadian pop star Justin Bieber arrives at Toronto's 52 Division Police Station on chargers of assault, Wednesday January 29, 2014. [Peter J. Thompson/National Post]Canadian pop star Justin Bieber arrives at Toronto's 52 Division Police Station on chargers of assault, Wednesday January 29, 2014. [Peter J. Thompson/National Post] Canadian pop star Justin Bieber arrives at Toronto's 52 Division Police Station on chargers of assault, Wednesday January 29, 2014. [Peter J. Thompson/National Post] Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard wins historic match, is immediately asked about boyshttp://o.canada.com/sports/tennis/canadian-tennis-star-eugenie-bouchard-wins-important-match-is-immediately-asked-about-boys
http://o.canada.com/sports/tennis/canadian-tennis-star-eugenie-bouchard-wins-important-match-is-immediately-asked-about-boys#commentsTue, 21 Jan 2014 13:20:28 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=385623]]>Eugenie Bouchard became the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 30 years after an upset win over Ana Ivanovic at the Australian Open on Monday. But rather than dwell on her athletic achievement, one of the first things an Australian TV reporter asked the 19-year-old tennis pro after the match was… about her dating prospects.

“You’re getting a lot of fans here, a lot of them male,” said Channel 7’s Sam Smith. “And they want to know, if you could date anyone in the world of sport, of movies… who would you date?”

Bouchard laughed uncomfortably before suggesting she would date Justin Bieber. Based on that answer, one can only assume she was caught off-guard by the question.

Watch the cringe-worthy moment below.

Not only was the question somewhat ill-timed, but Bouchard is also reportedly dating Montreal Canadiens player Alex Galchenyuk. In fact, one of Galchenyuk’s fellow Habs even razzed the forward about the Bieber link.

Who was the bigger dumbass, Calgary Flames Bob Hartley for starting his five-man goon squad or Vancouver Canucks John Tortorella for responding in kind? When will the neanderthal attiude of NHL coaches end? Torts maybe you could have sent a message to Hartley by starting the Sedins and watch them skate circles around the knuckle draggers for an early lead. Did you really believe that they would have been jumped and injured? Come on dumbasses, play hockey not professional wrestling.

Canadian women’s sporting history was made when tennis star Eugenie Bouchard made the Australian Open semis this week, but we were then rudely tossed back 50 years when TV reporter (and former tennis player) Samantha Smith asked the 19-year-old who she wanted to date right after her big win against Ana Ivanovic. Really? This passes for sports journalism? Not enough about serves and volleys and injuries and reaching great heights, just who do you want to date! Of course Bouchard migh have been just as dumb to say Justin Bieber. Ouch….

It was bad that Bouchard just got asked on-court who, of anyone, she would date. It was worse when she said Justin Bieber.

I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAS ASKED THAT QUESTION: Eugenie Bouchard after she lost to Li Na.

Sjinkie Knegt

Anybody who has watched a short-track speedskating race knows it is just as brutal as any roller derby except it is all too real. Many a favourite has lost a championship or Olympic race by being elbowed out of position late in a race. But when Sjinkie Knegt lost a close race that seemed clean, he responded in the worst possible way by flipping the middle-fingered salute to Victor An and even pretending to kick him. Later he chased after the oblivious winner and photobombed his big moment. Get over yourself dumbass.

HULK SMASH! Winner Victor An of Russia (L) and Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands.

Soccer Canada

Is Canada’s soccer governing body completely out of it when it says the country should host a soccer World Cup a mere 13 years from you? My goodness that is so laughable I don’t know what to say. Don’t you have to crack the top 100 in soccer rankings to be considered? Man Canada is so bad at soccer that the one time we managed to squeak in (1986) our national team didn’t even score a goal in three games before bowing out. I guess the plan is host the games, and get the automatic host berth. Otherwise there is no way in hell we make another World Cup in our lifetime.

Stick to supporting the women’s team dumbasses, at least they have a chance to win it all!

NFL/NHL

Nothing says NHL hockey like Hollywood, Rodeo Drive and Chavez Ravine, Calif., am I right? This weekend, the NHL will hold its stadium series games in New York Yankees stadium with a weather forecast high of -5 C on Sunday, with a wind chill of -9, according to the Weather Network. Sounds great, just like in Michigan for the Winter Classic.

Meanwhile, here is what is going to happen in Los Angeles this weekend.

On the other coast, Roger Goodell is playing with fire by scheduling the biggest sporting event of the year in New Jersey in Feb. Count me out for 50 yard line tickets, as the weather is not looking good either this year. Hopefully, the league won’t see a massive deep freeze followed by a blast of snowy weather. Either way, it is a dumbass move for both leagues.

What do you think?

Take Our Poll]]>http://o.canada.com/sports/dumbass-of-the-week-tortorellahartley-samantha-smith-sjinkie-knegt-soccer-canada-nflnhl/feed1John TortorellajohndujayTorts tries to beat up the entire Flames team. (beta.thescore.com/)I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS ASKED THAT QUESTION: Eugenie Bouchard after she lost to Li Na.HULK SMASH! Winner Victor An of Russia (L) and Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands.‘Justin Bieber is a piece of shit,’ Seth Rogen tweets after Bieber arresthttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-is-a-piece-of-shit-seth-rogen-tweets-after-bieber-arrest
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-is-a-piece-of-shit-seth-rogen-tweets-after-bieber-arrest#commentsFri, 24 Jan 2014 17:04:31 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=387699]]>Seth Rogen is known as a fun-loving dude who likes to get high and occasionally make movies or Kanye West parodieswith his buddies. But when he gets serious, the British Columbia native doesn’t mince his words. Especially when it comes to fellow Canadian celebrity Justin Bieber.

Minutes before Bieber was released from jail on a $2,500 bond, Rogen took to Twitter to vent his frustration.

“All jokes aside, Justin Bieber is a piece of shit,” the Knocked Up star wrote. The tweet then went viral, garnering over 100,000 retweets.

Rogen’s frequent costar and fellow Canadian Jay Baruchel took a different approach. The Montreal native jokingly lamented that he wasn’t famous enough to get noticed when he, too, was pulled over in his yellow Lamborghini in Miami.

Meanwhile, the daughter of Rogen’s kingmaker, Judd Apatow, publicly ended her case of Bieber fever. Maude Apatow posted a pic of her and the pint-sized Canadian bad boy with the description, “A very dark time.”

But it wasn’t all hate for the “Baby” singer. Fellow pro-narcotic pop star Lady Gaga posted a note instructing her monster army to be “supportive of Beliebers.”

“I know everyone today is taking about Justin’s arrest and all sorts of words and judgments are happening on the Internet. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and to stand up for themselves, but I think we should be supportive of Beliebers,” Gaga wrote on her website. “They deserve, just like any other fan, to feel strong for each other and Justin so they can continue to share the bond they have through music.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-is-a-piece-of-shit-seth-rogen-tweets-after-bieber-arrest/feed2Bieber RogenjonathandekelCBC reporter Neil Macdonald makes deadpan comedy out of Justin Bieber arresthttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/neil-macdonald-justin-bieber
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/neil-macdonald-justin-bieber#commentsFri, 24 Jan 2014 03:15:11 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=387534]]>Coverage of Justin Bieber’s arrest for driving under the influence and drag-racing in Miami Beach on Thursday could have been played straight on CBC’s The National — if the assignment wasn’t handed to grizzled veteran Neil Macdonald.

The subversively deadpan report included an interpretive reading of the Instagram postings of Bieber buddy Khalil Sharieff, who was also arrested.

Cant think of a better choice to report on Justin Bieber for @CBCTheNational than my friend Neil MacDonald. "Bizzle in a hot wheel" Perfect.

Watch a journalistic navigation of the modern-day generation gap below:

Macdonald’s spin on the absurdity was an improvement over how The National covered Bieber’s egging incident last week — which Peter Mansbridge approached with an absurd reverence for his occasional neighbour in Stratford, Ont.

CBC colleagues expressed enthusiasm for the report — as the public broadcaster realized it had a viral video hit on its hands: